Water Works Building Permit Fees

At a glance

What: Water Works asked the City to waive about $290,000 in building permit fees for its new administration and garage facility on Lake Shore Road, in exchange for transferring the 281 Lincoln Street building to the City.
Where it stands: On August 4 the Board instead voted 10 to 4 to receive and file the waiver request, collect the fees, and place them in a non-lapsing dedicated account for future department moves and uses at the Lincoln Street building.
Next: The Mayor will gather department heads on which departments might move.

Mayor Ruais pulled the item from consent. Collected fees would be surplus helping fund the 17 union contracts expiring (eleven city, six school) or upfitting the Lincoln Street building so forward facing offices like the Tax Collector or Planning could move there.
Trisciani, chair of the Lands and Buildings committee that had recommended the waiver, said that if the Board wanted to collect the fees they should be earmarked for moving departments into the building, and then moved to reverse the committee's decision. Croasdale said the fees are already in the project budget (guaranteed maximum price with Harvey Construction) and the Lincoln Street building still has asbestos in ceilings and an aging heating system but is nearly move in ready. O'Neil said any renovations would pass $300,000 quickly. Kantor asked for a sidewalk on Lake Shore Road.
Motion (Trisciani, second Kaw-uh): receive and file the waiver request, collect the fees, and create a non-lapsing account for Lincoln Street moves. Roll call: nay Sapienza, Kantor, O'Neil, Terrio; yea Burkush, Barry, Vincent, Thomas, Kaw-uh, Goonan, Dexter, Fajardo, Bonilla, Trisciani. Carried 10 to 4.

Waiver replaced with a collected fee and dedicated account, 10 to 4.