Watertown to collect building permit fees on new high school

The Watertown City Council opted not to waive building permit fees for the new Watertown High School during Monday’s meeting.

Officials broke ground for the new Watertown High School on Neal Road in September.

“We gave them permission to go ahead and get started without a building permit,” said Watertown Mayor Mike Jennings.

Unless the city officially waives the building permit fees, though, the building contractor – R.G. Anderon Co. – will still be responsible for the amount due, according to Jennings.

Based on the city’s standard building-fee calculations, the building permit fees for the 227,458-square-foot-facility are $61,759.80.

Jennings told council members officials from the school district spoke with him informally about possibly waiving those fees, so he brought it to council.

“I checked with Lebanon, and Lebanon does not waive their building permit fees,” said Jennings.

While Jennings said there is precedent for waiving building permit fees for schools – such as was done for Watertown Elementary – he said he did not recommend waiving the fee in this instance.

“We’ve sat around this table tonight and talked about things we need as a city, and we need money to do those things, so it’s hard for me to sit here and justify making a recommendation to waive that building permit,” said Jennings. “Looking at the needs that we have, I just can’t recommend waiving it.”

Councilor Robin Vance voiced her agreement with Jennings.

“As tight as we are and with what we went through last year on budget issues, I can’t see waiving it,” said Vance. “If I came in here wanting to build a new house and begged and cried and plead, you wouldn’t waive it for me.”

Council members voted unanimously to not waive the building permit fees.