HADLEY — Several fee increases and adjustments are being made for various inspections at homes, restaurants and other businesses, as well as the price of certain permits and the cost to participate in some recreational programs.

The Select Board last week voted unanimously to adopt the recommended changes developed as part of a detailed overview by various departments, including the Department of Public Works, the Fire Department, the Board of Health and Park & Recreation.

Select Board member Molly Keegan said a similar fee review was done several years ago, but not all departments recommended changes at that time.

Comparisons were made to other communities in the region to set the fees, along with the experience of the inspectors.

DPW Director Scott McCarthy said his department had made no similar adjustments in many years, but all recommendations are appropriate based on conversations he had, and economic factors.

One change will be to the cost of connecting residential water service, with a 1-inch line typical for a home being doubled from the current $400. “Contacting other communities, we feel $800 is an appropriate fee,” McCarthy said.

Water lines that are 1½ inches will go from $500 to $1,500. McCarthy’s spreadsheet shows Northampton charges $1,250 per dwelling for a similar size water line.

Grease trap inspections are going from $75 to $100 and driveway permits from $50 to $100. Employee time and wear and tear on vehicles played a role in adjusting the fees.

“A lot of towns around us, they’re a lot more,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy also recommended doing away with second meters for people who water their lawns and gardens. Having the meter means people are not also charged for the water going into the sewer system.

“With all the water use restrictions coming into play, outdoor watering is going to become a thing of the past in any kind of drought situation,” McCarthy said.

There are modest increases in building and electrical inspection fees, such as the price of inspecting an in-ground swimming pool going from $110 to $125. The town will also implement a $100 reinspection fee due to the time consuming nature of this work.

“We were a little lenient with it before, but some people, the same people, were doing it over and over, and it is taking up too much of their time,” said Dede Dibrindisi, the permitting coordinator.

Food truck inspections are rising from $100 to $200. Those are set at $150 in Northampton. Inspections at large restaurants, like Applebee’s, will go from $300 to $500. Those are $100, plus square footage, in Northampton.

Various program fees for Park & Recreation are also rising. Cheerleading, for instance, will be $200, instead of $125, and 3-on-3 basketball will be $95, instead of $75.

For fire, Fire Chief Michael Spanknebel said his department last changed fees in 2009, and he reached out to Northampton, Amherst, Holyoke and one smaller community to get a comparison.

Spanknebel said the biggest change is to set the hourly inspection at $65, up from $50, and charging gas stations on a gallon basis, rather than by tank. Previously, gas stations were charged $125 per tank, no matter the size, along with a $25 permit fee.

Spanknebel said this wasn’t fair, as the Stop & Shop gas station, with a 30,000 gallon tank, paid $150 every three years, while Cumberland Farms and Pride were paying $400 to $600 every three years.

The permit fee will double to $50 and the inspection fee will now be set by size of all the tanks together. The charges are $75 up to 1,000 gallons. $175 for 1,001 to 5,000 gallons, $375 for 5,001 to 20,000 gallons and $575 for over 20,000 gallons.

“It makes more sense, and it will keep it consistent across the board,” Spanknebel said.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.]]>