City Council Minutes 1995 09 05 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Keany asked for clarification that this ordinance would be based it on actual valuation, not on the building standards. Talboom stated that the Municipal Code now reads that the Building Official determines valuation, so he asks for actual valuation compared to building standards, except for the residential construction. He wanted to see the specific square footage taken out, have that same verbiage apply to everything, and receive direction from Council as to whether Council wanted him to ask for actual or just figure every thing at the $63.00/s.f. Davidson called for public comments. Ron Woelfel, 520 Orchard Drive, Louisville, Colorado, a local builder, stated that today he had paid in Louisville $25,525.63 in building permit fees on a home he will be building. He is building the same home on a comparable lot in Broomfield and the total building permit fee cost is less than $12,000 for everything. He stated that housing costs in Louisville are going up higher than Boulder, Lafayette, Broomfield, etc. He commented that Louisville's building costs are the highest in the Boulder County. He built a similar house in Boulder in 1992 and the permit fees were less than $13,000 for everything. He stated that using just an average number to go by was not realistic. He suggested Council put this on hold and do more research, because of the impact. Ray J. Schlott, 647 Manorwood Lane, Louisville, Colorado, suggested that they use the Uniform Building Code for their calculation. He felt the wording in the first paragraph on page two should be revised. He stated that other costs had gone up such as sewer costs and water connection costs. Jim Sheffield, 6777 Wadsworth, Arvada, Colorado, urged Council to exercise caution, judgement, and balance in considering these fees as a whole. Davidson clarified that the residential use tax is Louisville's version of a school impact fee. The money does not go to the City. It goes to the School District. Concerning comparing Louisville's total building fees with Broomfield's, Broomfield chooses to use property tax and bond issues to pay for things that Louisville does through impact fees. Broomfield's fees may be lower, but the resident ends up paying more in the long run due to the increased property tax. Sisk advocated that Council look at the Building Standard's table of modifications, using the average costs. Davidson asked the City Attorney to check on the specific language. Keany pointed out that this also affects the permit fee and plan check fee by $400, $700, or $1,400. It does not affect just the use tax. Mayer pointed out Louisville has the highest fees in Boulder County, but Louisville also has the lowest property taxes, with the exclusion of Ward.