At last night's Nazareth Borough Council meeting, both council members and the fourteen "civilians" attending were astonished to learn how much money is charged to get a small business up and going. If you set up shop and make some minor improvements, you can expect to pay a $719 fee to the borough engineer to make sure everything is up to code.
Most of that money, $650, goes right to Keller Consulting Engineers.
Last month, I told you that nonprofit Insomniak Theatre Company has finally found a home at the old Nazareth News Agency on Main Street. They've been hard at work, cleaning, scraping and painting the place. But to put in a handicapped-person bathroom, they had to shell out $719 for the "planning and review" costs.
This rule applies to any business coming to Nazareth, whether spending $500 or $50,000 in improvements. It makes no difference whether that business is a nonprofit, either. If improvements exceed $50,000, the "planning and review" cost goes up, too.
After hearing Insomniak's story, council member Tom Heckman quietly observed, "This could be detrimental to the business district."
D'you think?
Council members Cindy Werner ("I agree with Tom, I think it's high") and Larry Stoudt ("I have to agree") echoed Heckman's concern. But it's too late for Insomniak. That ship has sailed. "We can't change in the middle of the stream," was council prez Chiavaroli's Lincolnesque answer.
Insomniak member Erik Honsel was fine with that. Council will change the fees.
"So long as we help the next person."
That's what nonprofits do.
Wait 'till they get my Feng Shui bill!
Bernie, Nazareth has been held hostage to this kind of nonsense regarding engineering for years and it's one of the biggest complaints that I've heard in conversation with borough residents of which I am one.
ReplyDeleteIt's obscene to charge this kind of money to a 501(c)(3) making minor improvements. It discourages business.
ReplyDeleteOnerous fees and regulations are SOP for keeping riff-raff at bay and giving public servants' friends a nifty gifty. It's a rotten system, but there's no news here.
ReplyDeleteThat's disturbing.
ReplyDeleteMaybe someone needs to look into Keller Consulting. I smell something there between them and Nazareth
ReplyDeleteYou conspiracy theorists are just bunkers!! Inspections/paper work/record keeping for code compliance purposes is necessary. i.e. building and fire code and zoning code reviews. That fee is reasonable. Does one think that a consultant will do it for free?? Bottomline, either the Borough pays a consultant or hires staff which will cost a heckuva a lot more. Which is it Bernie? A consultant paid by the to be business owner or the taxpayers of Nazareth paying salaries and benefits?
ReplyDeleteAnon 6:58,
ReplyDeleteI don't think a single member of borough council liked learning that a new business, a nonprofit to boot, must pay $721 in inspection fees for relatively minor changes. That's the point.
If a business is making $50k in improvements, that is probably a reasonable fee. But small improvements by a nonprofit should be much lower. If Keller is unwilling to do the work, I'm sure the borough can find an engineeer who will.
You can't soak every small business that comes into town.