City Ready to Outlaw Building Fees on its Own Projects? Council Votes Tuesday

The new Hunking School, in the midst of construction.

In the future, the city will likely be banned from charging itself construction permit fees on city-owned projects.

City councilors are expected Tuesday to establish an ordinance prohibiting building permit fees on construction projects involving buildings owned by or properties leased by the city.

The issue came up in August when Councilor Colin F. LePage pointed out the discrepancy over fees being charged for one project but not others. At the time, WHAV reported that LePage noted the city charged $300,000 in building permit fees for the new Hunking School, but did not charge building permit fees for the new Elmo D’Allessandro police maintenance garage, work at Haverhill Trinity Stadium or the Consentino School library.

The $300,000 fee charged to the Hunking project last year is not included in the portion of the school cost that is being reimbursed by the state. As a result, taxpayers will foot the bill, with interest, over the course of 20 years and outside the bounds set by the tax-limiting law, Proposition 2 ½.

Councilors are set to vote on the proposal during their regular meeting Tuesday, at 7 p.m. in the Theodore A. Pelosi Jr. Council Chambers at Haverhill City Hall.

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