Commissioners increase food,septic permit fees

Wahkiakum County Commissioners Dan Cothren, Blair Brady and Lisa Marsyla approved Tuesday raises and adjustments to the fees that the health department charges for food services and permitting septic sewer systems.

Food service fees haven't been adjusted since 1996, said Administrator Judy Bright, and they aren't covering the cost of services.

This means the Current Expense Fund must subsidize the services, which are now contracted out to the Clark County Health Department.

The board adopted Bright's recommendation to adopt departmental policies and procedures allowing environmental health specialists to assist applicants in designing a septic system. People applying for permits may hire an engineer or other qualified designer to make the design, or, for a gravity system, they may provide information to the county environmental health specialist and develop a design themselves that would be submitted for approval.

The suggestion stemmed from a meeting held a few weeks ago in which environmental health specialists now working for the county on contracts said they aren't permitted to do such work in their counties.

To keep costs to homeowners down, commissioners asked that Bright and the consultants come up with a plan in which the applicant could receive direction, demonstrate understanding and competency, and submit a design. The processing and permit costs will increase, but owners won't have to pay the high cost of an engineered design for a simple gravity system that doesn't require much detail.

Bright presented tables comparing food service fees in Wahkiakum, Clark, Cowlitz and Pacific counties. The tables showed that Wahkiakum fees have been lower than the other counties' fees.

For example, fees for temporary food permits range from $25 to $130 for the other counties; Wahkiakum charges nothing. She suggested charging $25 for such a permit, $5 for a non-profit entity.

Annual food service permits for restaurants would increase $25 per year. The fee for restaurants with 0-50 seats would increase from $100 to $125, and for restaurants with 51-100 seats, from $150 to $ 175.

Other food establishment fees, such as reviewing a food plan for a new or remodeled restaurant, would increase from $50 to $75 per hour, which is almost what it costs to bring one of the consulting health specialists from Vancouver.

The board also established a $75 re-inspection fee for establishments which are ordered to improve their operations; none had been charged before.