As a result, it will cost more to obtain building permits, to have county surveyors review subdivision plats, and to have property assessed before hooking up to the Lolo Sewer and Water System.
The increases reflect the actual staff time required to process applications and perform the work, said Commissioner Jean Curtiss.
Building permits vary, depending on the type of house, its square footage and various amenities, such as garages, porches and basements. The commissioners approved a 5 percent, across-the-board increase for all building inspections.
Missoula County is the first county in Montana to establish a full building inspection program. Inspectors check the structure, as well as the mechanical, electrical and plumbing components.
With the county being one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, county officials felt it necessary last May to ensure development was meeting a certain standard by performing their own inspections.
Because it was a new program, officials could only make an educated guess on the necessary operating budget, said public works director Greg Robertson. And while they came close, it wasn't enough for inspectors to keep up with the high demand.
“We have more work than we can handle because of growth in the county,” said chief building inspector Steve Hutchings.
Every dollar paid to Missoula County for building permits goes to pay the salaries of the people in the inspection department, he said. Hutchings hopes to use a portion of the money from the fee increase to hire another inspector.
Because workload depends heavily on the housing market, the county is working to build up a reserve fund for years when few homes are built.
Certificate of Survey fees will decrease from $150 to $130, but the cost to have county surveyors review subdivision plats is going up.
Before subdivision plats or land surveys are filed in the County Clerk and Recorder's Office, employees must check for errors and omissions. Review of a 10-lot subdivision plat used to cost $15 per lot. It will now cost $32 per lot.
The increase reflects the true cost of the service, Curtiss said.
The county is now charging $919 more to assess whether property can be hooked up to the Lolo Water and Sewer District.
The fee has increased incrementally since it was first established in the late 1990s. Before the commission's vote last week, the fee was $2,081. It's increasing to $3,000. The fee is per household, not per subdivision.
The increase will help pay for equipment upgrades to the wastewater treatment facility in Lolo.
State environmental officials cracked down on the amount of nutrients flowing into the Bitterroot River a year ago. This spring, the county plans to switch to ultraviolet light to disinfect the water rather than chlorine, said district supervisor Jason Neese. Chlorine is not good for some aquatic species, he said.
Ultimately, the county would like to move away from dumping any treated wastewater into the river, using it instead to irrigate land, Robertson said. The equipment necessary to make all of these changes costs about $3 million to $4 million, according to Neese.
Reporter Chelsi Moy can be reached at 523-5260 or at Chelsi.Moy@Missoulian.com
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