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MINUTES OF THE HOUSING, PLANNING& DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE OCTOBER 25, 2021 AUDITORIUM Present: Councilmembers Shachner, Rader, Kepple Also Present: Building Commissioner Parmelee, Clerk of Council Bach, Deputy Clerk Lascu taking minutes Call to Order: 6:44 p.m. AGENDA Approval of the minutes of the October 4, 2021 Housing, Planning & Development Committee meeting. Motion by Chairman Shachner, seconded by Councilmember Kepple to approve the minutes. All members voted in favor. Motion passed. The minutes were approved. ORDINANCE 34-2021 -AN ORDINANCE to take effect January 1, 2022 to amend Section 903.09 Sidewalk Permit to update fees charged for issuing of a sidewalk permit and inspection. (1st read and referred to HPD 10/4/21) Commissioner Parmelee gave an overview of the legislation. He noted that the department's original $25 fee covered anywhere between 1 to 100 slabs of sidewalk being replaced. He explained that the Building & Housing Department process sidewalk fees for the Public Works Department, who then inspects and manages the sidewalk replacements. Staff may go out 2-4 times to inspect a single project. He stated that this legislation is not a money grab and that operating costs were going up. He concluded that the fee structure hasn't been examined since 2017 and that a $50 fee should help recoup the department's operating cost. Councilmember Kepple asked whether the cost of the fee was assessed to the homeowner for an individual job or if it was applied to the city if a whole street's sidewalks were being redone. Commissioner Parmelee indicated that the $50 fee would be assessed regardless of the number of slabs in the project, and whether they were cited by Public Works or were a part of normal street replacement. He noted that the price of concrete is up to $8/sqft compared to $6/sqft 2 years ago. He added that the city is in the final year of its sidewalk replacement program and that this change in fee will recoup a minute amount of labor cost. Councilmember Kepple followed with an inquiry if there was an incentive to replace the whole street of sidewalks versus individual slabs. Commissioner Parmelee stated that his department works with contractors on city projects and the fee is then implemented at his discretion. Typically, city projects are a $0 fee and 25% fee rate on school projects. Councilmember Rader stated concern over the timing of the legislation, as another piece that was introduced the week previous concerned itself with reducing or capping sidewalk cost