February 3, 2011
COUNTY REDUCES VARIOUS PERMIT FEES BY 25%
District 5 Supervisor Tom Wheeler pushes for a 50% reduction
MADERA, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors voted Jan. 25 to reduce various permit fees including lot line adjustments and parcel maps by 25 percent for six months as a means to assist the private citizen in these tough economic times.
Although District 5 Supervisor Tom Wheeler was instrumental in bringing the fee reduction to fruition, he believed 25 percent was not enough so did not support the vote.
“I really believe we needed to reduce fees by 50 percent and for at least a year,” said Wheeler, who was recently sworn in for his second term as County Supervisor. “Six months just isn’t enough time to notify our citizens and get a true accounting of whether the reduction promotes more business in the County.”
The reduction applies to conditional use permits, lot line adjustments, parcel maps, parking and development reviews, variances and zoning permits. The reduction is intended to primarily provide relief to private citizens or business owners. Fees specific to large developments were not included in the reduction.
“We really wanted to help the individual person by making it easier to build a house or start a business,” Wheeler said. “In this economy, reducing fees helps the individual with a strapped budget as well as the County who’ll see much more permit activity.”
Over the last 18 months, the County’s Planning Department has experienced a gradual reduction in permit applications for the private individual. For example, in 2009 there were 19 conditional use permit applications from July 1 – December 31. During the same period in 2010, there were only seven conditional use permit applications submitted.
“People simply don’t have the money to build right now,” Wheeler said. “This is precisely why I pushed for a 50 percent reduction. The bigger a reduction, the more our citizens will be able to afford to do business.”
The County’s Planning Department will keep a close watch on the permit activity to determine whether the reduction has any significant effect on the amount of permits pulled. The fee reduction will be effective until July 1.
New fee amounts are:
| PERMIT | CURRENT FEE | NEW FEE | REDUCTION |
| Conditional Use Permit | $4,377 | $3,283 | $1,094 |
| Lot Line Adjustments | $1,580 | $1,185 | $395 |
| Parcel Maps – Tentative | $2,489 | $1,867 | $622 |
| Final | $3,317 | $2,488 | $829 |
| Amended | $3,421 | $2,566 | $855 |
| Parking and Development Review Permits | $3,132 | $2,349 | $783 |
| Variances | $3,624 | $2,718 | $906 |
| Zoning Permits | $1,116 | $837 | $279 |
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Maria Miranda
Legislative Assistant, District 5
Supervisor Tom Wheeler’s Office
200 W. Fourth St.
Madera, CA 93637
559.662.6050 office
559.673.3302 fax