The Township of Selwyn has adopted a new building permit fee structure that will be taking effect Jan. 1, 2022.
On Nov. 9, the township hosted a public meeting during their regular council schedule for the public to voice any comments or concerns they had in regards to the proposed new structure for building permit fees.
No residents spoke at the public meeting so the final permit fee restructuring did not change from the draft proposal presented at the Nov. 9 meeting.
The permit fee structure currently in place for the township is based on the value of construction cost, meaning that the building permit fee rate is the same for everyone looking to make a new build in the township regardless of construction type. The rate is currently set at $14.54 per $1000 of estimated cost of construction.
The new building permit fee structure that was adopted by council at the Nov. 26 meeting will change that structure on Jan. 1, 2022 to a cost per square foot which would be calculated at about $1.50 per square foot of finished construction area.
Rob Lamarre, manager of building and planning, had previously stated that the biggest change difference residents will see in the fee structure is that there will be different fees depending on the type of build and not just a flat rate as it is now. In addition to changing to a per square foot model, the township has also broken the charges down into categories which include: institutional, commercial, industrial builds. These categories will all see different fees.
It is important to note that these changes are not intended to generate any more money for the township than is already in place. In a report submitted to council on Oct. 19, it was stated that the townships goal, as it relates to permit fee levels, is to collect 100 per cent of the costs associated with delivering the service. These costs are primarily made up of direct costs such as salaries and benefits, legal fees and insurance, education and training, vehicle expenses and mileage as well as indirect costs such as admin/IT, association dues and distributed overhead.
This new structure now aligns provincial best practices.
For more information please visit selwyntownship.ca.
