Fees related to the Lyon County Sanitation Code again was a hot topic during today's Lyon County commission study session.
On Feb. 14, commissioners asked Ann Mayo and Lougene Marsh, of Flint Hills Community Health Center, to bring in a proposal detailing the fee schedule. During Wednesday’s commission meeting, the proposed fee schedule was presented to commissioners.
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, Marsh said earlier this year.
The new proposed fees range from $150 to $495 depending on the type of work needed and the type of system. Marsh proposed there be no fee for cycle inspections and no fees for repairs on systems that are already permitted. Systems that have no valid permit would incur a fee under the proposed schedule.
Marsh said they came to the fee schedule using costs based on manpower, mileage and office/operating supplies experienced in 2006. She also said that all fees, except cycle inspections, represent an investment by the landowner and by Lyon County. New and replacement/reconstruction fees are proposed to be the same because the amount of work activity.
A change is that all proposed fees, other than new construction, provide a discount if the inspection is being performed on a previously permitted system. The schedule was changed to state that if either a real estate sale/transfer/refinance or cycle inspection results in a need for replacement/reconstruction, the replacement/reconstruction fee will be reduced by the fee already paid for the sale/transfer/refinance or cycle inspection.
Commissioner Bob Davis said the commission’s goal is to keep the policy as clean as possible.
“And now we’re back re-clouding everything,” Davis said.
Davis said one of the reasons the fees were done away with is because people were going out and building systems without Environmental Health approval to avoid fees. Davis went on to say that he’s received quite a few calls from retired people in the county who are on fixed income and can’t afford to pay fees.
“They’re scared to death if they get inspected,” Davis added. “They don’t know whether they are going to get shut down or moved out.”
Former County Commissioner Myron VanGundy attended the meeting to talk about the fees. VanGundy said the fees are a concern for Lyon County residents.
“You got the retired people, the small businessman, the labor person...and the farmer,” he said. “Their income is going south.”
Commissioner Scott Briggs also commented on the fee structure. He said the whole point of the sanitation code is to keep the everything up to specs and keep the water clean.
“If we are concerned about the water and the environment we need to make is as less painful as possible,” Briggs said.
Briggs suggested that the fees collected be applied toward the cost of the construction or reconstruction.
“I think you will find a lot better (response) from the public,” Briggs added.
Also during today's Lyon County commission meeting:
• Marsh presented commissioners with the state grant application on behalf the Lyon County Health Department.
johnsie (anonymous) says...
What Marsh and Mayo are trying to do is the ultimate example of uncontrolled power. They, therefore, expect us to believe and do just as they tell us. Hang in there, Van Gundy!
March 15, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )