HILLSBORO, Ohio — Hillsboro is raising its building permit and inspection fees for the first time since 2017, after the city said the outdated fee schedule cost it nearly $41,000 last year.
Hillsboro City Council gave first-reading approval July 16 to an ordinance repealing the residential and commercial fee schedule adopted in 2020 and replacing it with updated rates, according to meeting minutes. The change followed a June 25 meeting of council’s Street and Safety Committee, where members reviewed the fee structure for building and zoning permits.
Street and Safety Committee Chair Adam Wilkin told council the city has not adjusted its rates since the fee schedule’s creation in 2017, even as costs tied to state inspection and plan-review requirements have climbed. He said the shortfall came from fees charged by the Ohio Board of Building Standards, inspection fees, plans examiner fees and the cost of processing paperwork.
“It just makes sense that we not make money, but break even and not use taxpayers’ money to subsidize” the program, Wilkin said, according to the minutes.
Safety and Service Director Shawn Adkins said the city’s commercial fees were largely in line with actual costs, but residential fees had fallen well behind. City officials said staff researched fees charged by comparable communities in the region to set the new rates. Council member Cody Mathews raised concerns from residential developers about whether the increase could put Hillsboro at a competitive disadvantage, and Adkins responded that builders working outside city limits already pay similar costs elsewhere.
Council agreed to review the fee schedule annually going forward, alongside its yearly review of water, sewer and wage rates. The city has contracted with Steve Rivera as building inspector and Todd Cluxton as plans examiner, according to the minutes.
In separate action at the same meeting, council approved a “then and now” certification authorizing a final payment of $67,650.71 to close out the Roberts Lane lift station project, and adopted a preliminary 2027 tax budget as required by the county each year, according to the minutes.
The building fee ordinance is scheduled for a second reading during council’s Aug. 13 meeting.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Hillsboro City Council.
