CHESTERVILLE – Code Enforcement Officer Brenda Medcoff said she hopes people will attend a public hearing Thursday to discuss a proposed change in how the town determines building permit fees.

The hearing will be at 7:30 p.m. at the town office.

Medcoff said the proposal would charge fees based on the square footage of a structure versus its estimated construction cost.

Medcoff said there’s normally a lack of participation in public hearings, but this issue drew a crowd to the last hearing, she said. That’s fine with Medcoff, who said she and selectmen prefer feedback to none at all.

At the last hearing, good points were made that helped the board rework things in order to propose what’s going to work best for the town, she said.

Building permit fees now are based on construction costs, including labor and materials, but over the past few years, Medcoff and selectmen noticed some large discrepancies on similar size properties.

For example, construction costs for a 32- by 32-foot house can range from $60,000 to $145,000, depending on the builder and materials, Medcoff said.

Selectmen feel it would be fairer to go by square footage or how the house sits on the ground, she said.

“It’s not to raise permit fees but to make it more fair,” she said. The board is proposing a fee of five cents per square foot, and for an accessory structure like a garage or storage unit, a $5 base fee and two cents per square foot.

The town’s land use ordinance requires that a public hearing be held before the building permit fees can be amended by the board, she said.

Some people have been concerned that selectmen would be making the decision and wanted to vote on it at town meeting. There was also concern that the board was trying to raise fees, she said.

Amendments to the land use ordinance on permit fees for people building in and outside of shore land zones are also being proposed. Proposed “after the fact” fees will also be discussed. Sometimes people come into town and don’t check about permits, but just build, and sometimes they knowingly build, she said. Fees could range from $20 for the first offense to $200 for the second and up from there. The suggested fees are in accordance with state law, she added.

Anyone with questions may call Medcoff at 778-2499 and leave a message. She will contact the caller when she gets in. Her office hours are from 8 a.m. to noon Mondays and Fridays and from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays.