By Sam Wildow
TROY — The Troy City Council will be considering updates to some of the city departments’ fees for services, not related to utility rates, at its upcoming meeting on Monday at 7 p.m.
During the council’s Finance Committee meeting this week, the committee recommended moving forward with updated fees relating to the Development and Engineering departments, as well as to cemetery fees. The previous fee schedule was adopted in 2019.
“There are some changes. We wanted to streamline the fee schedule, get some things on there that haven’t been on there that we’ve charged, and do some minor updates,” Director of Public Service and Safety Patrick Titterington said. He added, “This is not a utility rate discussion at all.”
Under the Development Department, staff is recommending implementing a $25 fee for Historic District applications. Staff is also proposing collecting a fee of $25 for Zoning Verification letters to offset the labor costs in providing the requested document. Staff also recommended establishing a fee of $50 for Commercial Accessory applications.
Development Department staff also proposed removing the fee calculations and setting a base fee for the following zoning applications: new construction permits ($100 for residential and $200 for commercial), sign permits ($50), and demolition permits ($25).
Development Department staff is also recommending increasing application fees related to fences from $10 to $25 and fees related to rezoning requests from $150 to $250. This increase, on average, offsets the cost of the required legal ads and mailings, according to city staff.
In regard to the Engineering Department, city staff is recommending removing the fee calculations for a number of right-of-way permit fees — including sod/pavement cuts, pole permit, and other work — and combining them into one right-of-way permit, setting a base fee of $50.
In regard to cemetery fees, the cemetery foreman recommends the following:
• A fee establishment for small glass double front niches (includes name plates if needed) at $950 for the Chapel Columbarium.
• A fee adjustment for the standard monument foundation pouring to $0.50 per square inches (currently $0.35 per square inch) due to the increased cost of the materials for the service.
• A fee adjustment for the installation of an in-ground marker on concrete to $0.50 per square inch (currently $0.35 per square inch) due to the increased cost of materials.
• Adding the actual charges for the rental and operation of a lift to the $1,700 upper-two-levels Mausoleum Crypt fee.
The city of Troy maintains two cemeteries, Riverside and Rosehill.
The council will also consider a professional services agreement with Jackson Lewis P.C., for collective bargaining and other employment-related services.
The upcoming council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in council chambers on the second floor of City Hall, located at 100 S. Market St.
