Grant County to review building fees
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | March 8, 2021 1:00 AM
EPHRATA — A review of fees charged by the Grant County Planning Division has been postponed to midyear, after which fees may increase, according to Development Services Director Damien Hooper.
Applicants pay two fees, the permit fee and the plan review fee, Hooper said. The plan review fee is calculated as a percentage of the permit fee.
Fees are based on a schedule published by the International Code Council, Hooper said. The ICC publishes model building and safety codes. The ICC also assigns monetary values based on the type of construction, and those are the basis for fees in most jurisdictions.
The ICC updates the value tables each year, and Hooper said if county officials kept pace, they could have reviewed fees each year. However, the last full evaluation of fees was 2009-10.
“It’s been a while,” he said.
Hooper said the value tables have been relatively stable and county officials typically adopt the lowest values on the tables, Hooper said.
“The valuation rates don’t go up a lot,” he said.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring. At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights. “This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”
Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.
Othello Community Museum to open April 25
OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.