County fees for permit and consulting services could see a few changes in the near future, under a proposal being considered by the Island County commissioners.

David Wechner, director of Island County Planning and Community Development, unveiled Wednesday at the board’s work session changes to county fees for things such as land use permits, road maintenance and shoreline work.

While Wechner and local builders said they believe the changes are fair, county commissioners said they want to ensure the fees are not too high.

“We don’t need the price to be too bold,” said Commissioner Aubrey Vaughan.

The commissioners will continue their discussion about the proposed fees at a future work session.

Among the changes are the inclusion of a new $300 pre-application fee, which did not exist previously but Wechner called “an investment.”

“That has a lot of value,” Wechner said. “All the information you get, help with the application process… it all puts the goal post in the right spot. It’s the best investment you can make.”

Wechner said these fee increases are “simply trying to cover the costs” in most cases.

“The number of hours we’re putting in is stacking up,” Wechner said.

Staff time for pre-application meetings can take three hours or more in preparation, research and meeting time and can include staff from multiple departments, Wechner said.

Vaughan said he wanted to make sure that an applicant’s time and money isn’t wasted with the pre-application fee if it’s clear their project will not be approved.

“I want to know what the county is going to do to convey that to the applicant,” Vaughan said.

Wechner said he and his staff try to give these “counter denials” when necessary to save applicant and staff time. In addition, once through the application process, the pre-application fee is deducted from the permit cost.

Applicants will need to see a smooth application process if they are going to pay $300 for the assistance, said Commissioner Jill Johnson. She added that the fees also had to be “palatable” for the community.

“The community is only going to be able to handle so much,” Johnson said. “It has to be in line with our local economy.”

Offering an updated website that gives applicants the ability to self research and fill out applications should also be a priority for the county, Commissioner Helen Price Johnson said.

“We don’t have a website that is user friendly,” Price Johnson said. “There’s a lot we can do on that side. And there’s an education process in helping people use the site.”

In order to clarify the fees and the process, Wechner suggested writing an administrative guide to accompany the fee schedule.

“It’s a little fuzzy sometimes for folks,” Wechner said.

He also told commissioners that he met with Wayne Crider, executive officer for the Skagit and Island Counties Builders Association, and other stakeholders to ensure it was a fee schedule they could live with.

Crider said Wednesday that Wechner met with him, other builders, and Scott Yonkman, of Yonkman Construction who also serves on the Island County Planning Commission, for three hours recently.

They all agreed that the fee schedule is fair.

“We don’t like fees, but we do understand that there has to be a workable solution for everyone,” Crider said.

“We’re glad to see some fees eliminated, glad to see fees reduced, and most increases are not that much.”

Crider also said that the fees should be fair to the individual homeowner as well as the larger construction companies. In most cases, standard single home remodels will not be affected by the fee schedule changes, Crider said.

Other fee changes include the increase in price for a certificate of zoning compliance from $625 to $750, a new administrative setback reduction fee will cost $750 and a land use information response would cost $50.

The $500 15-day and $150 renewal determinations for critical areas would be eliminated completely.

However, new critical areas fees would be put in place, including $150 for an exemption authorization, $250 for permitted alterations and $1,800 for a critical areas variance.

Ebey’s Landing design review services would be reduced in price overall, but a $150 pre-application fee would be introduced.