Lake County Board members were at odds over a proposed increase to a range of building permit fees during Tuesday’s meeting, leading to an 11-8 vote that sent the proposal back to committee.
While proponents said the increases would help cover a reported $800,000 deficit and bring the county in line with other communities in the region, others questioned the potential negative impact on future development and housing costs, and criticized what they see as a needlessly expedited approval process.
Board member and chair of the Planning, Building, Zoning and Environment Committee Marah Altenberg, District 19, said county officials revisit permit fees “every seven to eight years.” According to Altenberg, since 2018, labor, software and safety costs have risen by $300,000 at the expense of Lake County taxpayers.
“It is necessary to adjust our permitting fees to cover these costs,” she said.
Fee increases varied, with some as high as 20%, although the “largest volume” of permits would only go up about $7, Altenberg said. The proposal also includes an annual increase, not to exceed 5%, to account for inflation.
During public comments, Michael Dobrow, a governmental affairs director with advocacy group Illinois Realtors, urged the board to vote against the proposed increases, which he said will “exacerbate” the housing affordability crisis and deter commercial growth. Permit requests have already been lagging in the region, he said.
The increased fees would be passed down to homebuyers and renters, he warned, driving up costs and “hindering efforts to expand affordable housing options.”
Altenberg disagreed with that assessment, saying the county’s lagging efforts to build affordable housing was a zoning issue rather than a permit-fees issue.
Dobrow questioned the estimated deficit, saying county staff had not made their calculations publicly available and several questions remained unanswered. He wants to explore other cost-saving avenues to “close that gap” before raising fees.
In a statement, Altenberg defended the fee increase, saying the county has worked “transparently and diligently to be fiscally responsible.” Updating permit fees is, “the right thing to do to keep a level field for our taxpayers,” she said, and will come out to be around the median of what is charged throughout the county.
“The bulk of the fees being paid by the permit applicant is much more fair than asking all taxpayers to pay for specific user fees,” Altenberg said.
A majority of board members remained unconvinced Tuesday, including board member Esiah Campos, District 16, who shared strong criticisms of what he views as a truncated process to get the fee increases passed. Many board members had received numerous complaints over the proposal, Campos said, and the board needs to “listen to the people emailing.”
He said several questions remain unanswered after two committee meetings, and while he isn’t necessarily opposed to increases, they need to be “properly vetted.”
“The only way I can put it is there was a dead body that was left in the committee room,” Campos said. “The process that this went through does not pass the sniff test. It feels rushed and ill-thought.”
Altenberg pushed back against claims of rushing the approval process, saying staff had studied the issue for nearly six months before making recommendations, and board members have had, “ample time for questions and to understand the process fully.”
Other board members worried the fee increases would push developers out, and raised concerns about a potential incoming recession and the impacts that would have on development, even without fee increases. Concerns were raised by members on both sides of the political aisle, something board member Adam Schlick, District 2, emphasized.
Schlick successfully called for the proposal to be sent back to the PBZE committee until his and other members’ questions can be addressed. He feels there is “too much confusion” after the staff presentation about how the reported $800,000 deficit was calculated, and what it really represents.
While Schlick said he supported building and inspection fees, he wants to keep them “reasonable” and possibly explore ways to reduce costs for affordable housing.
Despite voicing her support earlier in the meeting, District 18 board member Sara Knizhnik voted to return the proposal to committee, saying she understands the uncertainty expressed by several board members over the process.
