The sanitation code inspection fee structure is once again on the Lyon County commission agenda this week for more discussion.
Lyon County commissioners passed a resolution on Jan. 4 that reads “No existing lagoon or septic system shall require a fee for reconstruction or inspection. A sanitary system built for new construction where no system has existed before shall be charged a $395 fee.”
Before passing the resolution doing away with the fees, in 2006, the Department of Environmental Health did 53 real estate transfers at $150 for a total of $7,950; 16 new system inspections at $395 for a total of $6,320; 27 reconstructions at $393 each for a total of $10,665; and two reconstructions due to cycle inspections totaling $790.
Based on those figures, the commissioners’ decision to do away with the fees will cost the Department of Environmental Health more than $18,000 this year. That equals nearly 10 percent of the department’s budget, which is $196,000, Lougene Marsh, Flint Hills Community Health Center executive director, said earlier this year.
Marsh and Ann Mayo, also of the health center, met in mid-February to discuss the issue with commissioners. Marsh gave commissioners a packet of information and asked commissioners to either reverse their decision on the fee structure or appropriate $18,615 to the department to make up for the lost revenue. At that meeting, commissioners requested more information from Marsh and Mayo. They will present this information at 10 a.m. Wednesday during the Lyon County commission meeting.
Myron VanGundy, former Lyon County commissioner, also is on the agenda to talk about the fees. VanGundy is scheduled to speak at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday.