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10/08/2019 03:44 PMThe Board of Selectmen (BOS) voted earlier this month to change the way Guilford charges building fees on permits, putting the town more in line with its neighbors and potentially increasing revenue.
The BOS approved the new ordinance at a public hearing on Sept. 5, and also ensured the numbers would stay aligned with the market as building costs changed, according to First Selectman Matt Hoey.
Building Official Kimberly Norman-Rosedam said the previous system based charges on square footage, with different amounts used for living and non-living spaces. Now, the town will scale its permit fees based on the total value of the project being constructed, per $1,000 instead of per square foot.
The numbers currently being used are $50 for the first $1,000 and $12 for each additional $1,000. For comparison, Madison currently charges $25 for the first $1,000 and $13 after that.
First Selectman Matt Hoey said that it wasn’t a “big picture change in economic development.” One of the secondary positive effects, though, is the simplification of the permit process, which creates an overall easier job for town officials now that there aren’t a large variety of different permit structures, Hoey said.
Both Hoey and Norman-Rosedam said one of the main reasons behind the change was keeping Guilford in line with what most other towns were doing. Norman-Rosedam said they examined the permitting fees of approximately 20 nearby towns, and aimed to put Guilford on the lower end of that scale while still keeping the system consistent.
“We’re just basically being...in the playing field with everybody else,” said Norman-Rosedam.
Norman-Rosedam said that the change will potentially bring in more revenue. She emphasized money from building permits go directly into the town’s general fund and do not benefit any single department.
As far as whether the change would encourage more people to move or build commercially in Guilford, Norman-Rosedam said she did not think it would be a significant factor.
“To build in Guilford and to live in Guilford is fantastic,” she said, “with the community that we have and everything. I don’t think it’s going to deter anyone, because if you want to build in Guilford, you will…[W]e’re just making [the pricing] the same as in all the other municipalities.”