PELHAM – The Pelham City Council at a meeting on Monday, Nov. 5, conducted the first reading of an ordinance that would increase the city’s building permit fees.

Council President Rick Hayes said Building Department official Bob Miller brought the idea to increase fees to the council during a budget work session.

“His recommendation was based on our fees not being updated for a number of years,” Hayes said. “We’re trying to better align our fees with what the services actually cost us.”

In October 2017 when Miller became the department head for the Building Department, he said he realized that permit fees had not been adjusted in about 25 years.

“I looked at permit fees for surrounding cities, such as Alabaster, Hoover, Helena and Chelsea, and some fees were triple what we are charging,” Miller said. “Even with the proposed increases, we would still have the lowest fees in Shelby County.”

In addition to adjusting fees, Miller said he is striving to make the city of Pelham a one-stop shop for people wanting to do business in the city.

“Customer service is our main goal,” he said. “We want to make the process as quick and efficient as possible, while also making our customers feel welcomed when they come to our city.”

If the ordinance is amended, the new building permit fees would be as follows:

-Valuation of $2,000 or less – $50

-Valuation of $2,001 to $5,000 – $50 for the first $2,000, plus $6 for each additional thousand or fraction thereof.

– Valuation of $50,001 to $100,000 – $300 for the first $50,000, plus $5 for each additional thousand or fraction thereof.

– Valuation of $100,001 to $150,000 – $550 for the first $100,000, plus $5 for each additional thousand or fraction thereof.

-Valuation of $150,001 to $200,000 – $756 for the first $150,000, plus $5 for each additional thousand or fraction thereof.

-Valuation of $200,001 to $500,000 – $1,000 for the first $200,000, plus $5 for each additional thousand or fraction thereof.

-Valuation of $500,000 and up – $2,500 for the first $500,000, plus $5 for each additional thousand or fraction thereof.

-All commercial properties: State Craft Fee will be added to the permit cost – $1 for every $1,000

-New business inspection fee – $30

-Moving or demolition fee – $300 for any building

-Re-inspection fee – $50

-Issue fee for each permit – $10

The city’s current building permit fees can be found online at PelhamAlabama.gov.

In other business, the council:
-Approved a business license for Message Fever, 3186-B Pelham Parkway.
-Approved a $32,075 contract with Down In Front Productions LLC to provide video production services at the Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Arena for the Birmingham Bulls.