At its Wednesday meeting, the baltimore City Board of Estimates — the panel charged with overseeing contract and spending decisions for City government — approved a slate of fee increases and other adjustments, seeking to help address financial difficulties faced in the City budget. From the Baltimore Business Journal coverage:
The Board of Estimates voted to approve the new fees Wednesday morning. The measure also includes setting up a commission to periodically adjust what the city charges for its services.
Among the changes:
* The fire department will now charge $425 to review a building’s fire alarm system, up from $63 now, expected to raise an additional $99,550 per year;
* The environmental control board will now start charging $15 for an environmental citation hearing, a fee it has not assessed in the past and which is expected to raise $225,000 a year;
* The health department will increase the cost of a catering permit from $550 to $625, to generate another $4,200 a year; and,
* The Department of Planning will raise the maximum it charges to review a residential major subdivision plan from $1,000 to $2,000, expected to generate $17,000 more a year.