Council considers increasing permit, grave opening fees
It was an evening of change.
Marion City Council reviewed and considered changing four city ordinances Monday in an effort to update fees and a fireworks schedule.
Currently the city charges $25 for all building permits, regardless the size or scope of the project.
City office staff checked with other cities and found Marion was "way behind the times."
City administrator David Mayfield explained that most cities use a formula to determine permit fees, some based on the square footage of the project.
One recommendation was to charge 15 cents per square foot for houses and 10 cents per square foot for commercial buildings. If that formula was followed, a building permit for the average house could cost $225, which still would be less than other cities.
The building permit fees could be used as an incentive with them being waived for economic development-type projects.
During the course of the research, it was determined that USD 408 had budgeted $25,000 for the school projects.
Mayfield said the building inspector, Marty Fredrickson who also wears the hats of street superintendent and water plant operator, inspects construction sites numerous times, depending on the size of the project. The $25 fee hardly covered one trip to the site.
The council instructed city attorney Dan Baldwin to make changes to the ordinance to include fees based on square footages.
Cemetery fees
Another fee schedule that hasn't been increased in a long time is for the cemetery.
Currently the city charges $100 for grave opening and closing for a child, $175 for an adult, and $50 for cremation. After hours charges are by the hour. Other cemeteries were surveyed and it was determined that a price increase was in order.
Mayfield suggested all grave openings and closings will be $200 during regular hours and $300 per grave after hours.
The sale of grave spaces also could increase from $50 per space to $100.
Another fee that other cemeteries charge but Marion doesn't is for setting headstones. Monument companies contact the city when a headstone is to be set so the city could charge a $25 fee at that time, Mayfield said.
The council will review the changes at the next council meeting.
Fireworks
Councilman Bill Holdeman said he was not in favor of allowing the celebration of Independence Day for seven days prior to the holiday.
"I wonder if we're celebrating Independence Day or celebrating money," Holdeman said. He said he didn't mind fireworks being sold prior to July 4, but they shouldn't be discharged before then.
Mayor Mary Olson and councilman Stacey Collett agreed that the dates should stay the same for sales and discharging — June 27 through July 4. Collett said the city should have the same dates as the county.
Councilman Steven Smith said it wasn't so much when the fireworks are sold or discharged but where they're discharged.
The council agreed that the fireworks needed to be discharged on private property. Marion Police Chief Josh Whitwell said some fireworks may be shot from the person's property but could end up on another person's property or public property.
Currently the city charges $25 for a permit to vendors to sell fireworks. Mayfield asked the council to consider a $100 permit fee for vendors which would not affect the profit to local organizations who operate the booths.
The council will consider an amendment to the ordinance at the next meeting that will include a price increase and a change of hours to discharge fireworks to 10 p.m. weekdays, 11 p.m. weekends, and midnight on July 4.
