Title
Joint resolution amending the Lake County Health Department Environmental Health Fees Schedule (as authorized in Lake County Code of Ordinances Chapter 178).
Staff Summary
• Revisions are proposed to Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (OWTS) Program fees to achieve better compliance by incentivizing compliant actions, reduce the time and cost of billing for samples, and to better reflect the cost of the services. The OWTS fees proposed to be adjusted are:
o Inspection fee for surface discharging system and associated laboratory analysis fees
§ The cost to a compliant bi-annually inspected system owner will be reduced from $336 to $275, and for an annually sampled system owner from $188 to $135;
§ The difference in revenue is made up by reduced billing costs and pursuit of fines from non-compliant system owners.
o Penalty fee for failing to submit a report of required system management activities
§ To increase compliance the proposal is to increase the penalty fee from $119 to $180, which based on a survey of contractors, is approximately the average and median cost of the service.
o Fees for holding tank inspections
§ To better reflect the cost of the services provided, the Health Department is proposing to reduce the inspection fee from $307 to $235 for a year-round residence and from $153.50 to $115 for a seasonal residence.
• Taken together, the revenue implications from the revisions to the OWTS Program fees are close to neutral, with a projected overall increase in revenue of approximately 2 percent.
• An additional revision is proposed to exclude laboratory fees from the Lake County Consumer Price Index (CPI) annual adjustment to allow for unified, consistent fees for each type of analysis conducted in the integrated Environmental Laboratory operation between the Health Department and the Lake County Public Works Department.
Body
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the Lake County Health Department is authorized to enforce a local ordinance regulating onsite wastewater treatment systems to protect the public’s health; and
WHEREAS, the Lake County Board incorporated the Lake County Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Ordinance into the Lake County Code of Ordinances at Chapter 171 on November 12, 2013; and
WHEREAS, Chapter 171 of the Lake County Code of Ordinances, also authorizes the Lake County Health Department to assess and collect fees for permits and/or other services described in this ordinance; and
WHEREAS, Chapter 178 of the Lake County Code of Ordinances codifies the establishment and amendment of a schedule of fees and charges for services provided by the Lake County Health Department under Title XVII of the Lake County Code of Ordinances; and
WHEREAS, the fees for Environmental Health services are contained in the Environmental Health Fees Schedule; and
WHEREAS, the Lake County Health Department has proposed amendments to the Environmental Health Fees Schedule that pertain to the assessment of fees for services related to onsite wastewater treatment systems and exclude laboratory analysis fees from the annual consumer price index adjustment; and
WHEREAS, the Lake County Board of Health has approved the proposed amendments to the Environmental Health Fees Schedule on July 25, 2018; and
WHEREAS, the Lake County Board of Health has recommended that the proposed amendments to the Environmental Health Fees Schedule be referred to the County Board for approval; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by this County Board of Lake County, Illinois, that the amendments to the Environmental Health Fees Schedule herewith be approved and made a matter of Lake County law.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Lake County Clerk is hereby authorized to distribute certified copies of the amended Ordinance to the County Administrator, Comptroller, and the Executive Director of the Lake County Health Department.
DATED at Waukegan, Illinois, on September 11, 2018.