Building permits in Green River during 2016 resulted in an increased annual construction valuation for the city.
According to a report from the city’s Community Development Department, the construction valuation tallied in 2016 totalled $20 million, approximately $13.5 million higher than the 2015 valuation, $6.5 million.
A severe hail storm during the summer is the main reason for the boost in valuation. Laura Leigh, director of community development, said the city issued 1,163 permits during 2016, many of which were due to roofing projects repairing hail damage. Those permits, known as residential alternation and addition permits, totalled 1,075.
“I do think it will pack back up again. We’re getting phone calls from people seeking information about building permits,” Leigh said.
Leigh said permits can be issued for a six month period and renewed if work doesn’t begin within that initial period.
Leigh said permits cost $50 currently, though the city plans to rework the fees charged for certain permits to adopt a sliding scale. Leigh said a sliding scale does make sense in certain situations, while a flat rate works better in others. She believes the city could have received more revenue if they had a sliding scale system implemented for building permits.
In 2016, the city generated $153,993 in revenue from building permit fees.
Other data collected by the report shows an increase in new business licenses issued in Green River.
In 2015, the city registered 89 new businesses while in 2016, 127 new business licenses were recorded. Leigh said the increase was due to the influx of contractors coming into Green River to take advantage of the booming roofing work.
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