Fees for county public health services like septic inspections and water quality testing have been increased by 8 percent as part of a comprehensive fee schedule change.

Other than those related to food service, public health fees have not seen an increase since 2006, according to Keith Higman, Island County public health director.

The 8 percent hike in environmental services was accounted for in the 2015 budget and approved by the Island County Board of Health.

Public health has struggled in recent years as service costs increase and fees stay static, Higman said.

The 8 percent increase will mean an additional $50,000 for his department’s 2015 budget.

The county issues approximately 200 septic permits each year, but this can vary widely depending on how the building market is performing.

In addition, state and federal grants, which comprise 45 percent of his budget, can be “volatile” and unpredictable.

In the short term, Island County commissioners have agreed to assist public health to maintain current services by paying the difference out of general fund dollars. For 2015, the total amount was $490,000. But Higman is advocating for some type of dedicated funding source for public health moving forward.

“Some fees are going up, some are going down, and we’ve eliminated some that were simply redundant.”

David Wechner,

Island County Planning director

In addition to the Board of Health’s increase in service fees, Island County commissioners adopted a new fee schedule Monday that primarily impacts the planning department, but also lists some public health and public works services where the requirements overlap.

These fees include those for building inspections, building permits and design reviews.

“Some fees are going up, some are going down, and we’ve eliminated some that were simply redundant,” said Planning Director David Wechner, who added that fees are updated on a three- year cycle. Among the main changes are the inclusion of a $300 pre-application fee, which would be applied to any permit fees if approved, Wechner said.

Commissioner Rick Hannold expressed concern about how the fee changes would impact the consumer.

Wechner estimated that the county would be able to capture $44,965 in additional revenue annually to cover the cost of services, and that planning takes in roughly $500,000 in fees each year.

Hannold said he was satisfied that the increase was “actually keeping up with inflation.”

“What I think this does is better align the revenue capture to the work that’s being done,” said Commissioner Helen Price Johnson. “What you’ve done is take an in-depth look and I appreciate that. What we need to be doing is charging for the cost and not charging for the things that are duplicates.”

Price Johnson said she appreciated outreach conducted by Wechner with the local building community to ensure the permitting fees are fair.

“They were supportive of the fee schedule as amended,” Wechner said.

Commissioner Jill Johnson said she would support the updated fee schedule both because it keeps up with inflation and because there was a reduction of fees that should not have been in place.

However, now that there is an overall increase in fees, Johnson she expects service levels to increase as well.

“That expectation is there is a correlation… more costs equals the right level of service,” Johnson said.

Wechner said his staff is also working on an administrative manual to help interpret and apply the fee schedule, but could not give a completion date.

The changes to the planning department’s fees were first unveiled in September and include in some instances combined fees for public health and public works.

The updated fee schedules can be viewed at www.islandcountyhealth.org and www.islandcounty.net/planning.