Fees are going up at the Franklin County building department.

Fees are going up at the Franklin County building department.

Franklin County Commissioners agreed last week to increase fees on a number of services the office provides.

According to the Florida Building Code, permit fees that are collected by the planning office are to be used to fully cover the costs of the department.

In the 2019 Fiscal Year, the Franklin County Building Department was budgeted nearly 205 thousand dollars to cover their costs, but permit fees only brought in about 175 thousand dollars.

That's nearly a 30 thousand dollar difference.

Amy Hamm Kelly who oversees the department said Franklin County has one of the lowest permitting fee schedules in the State – but that needs to change.

She recommended that Franklin County adopt the International Code Council's Data Valuation Table, which is already in use in Gulf, Wakulla and Calhoun Counties.

That change will increase the fees for a number of services but will also allow the building department to be self sustaining without having to use ad valorem taxes.

The commission voted unanimously to adopt the valuation table - The new fee schedule will begin on May the 1^st.

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