Sandy Springs has become one of the first local governments in metro Atlanta to adopt a technology surcharge for permit applications, intended to recover the cost of technology and software necessary for the city’s online permitting services.
Fees will be levied on a sliding scale, ranging from $5 for permit applications under $100 to a maximum of $200 for applications valued at more than $50,000. The new fee was approved by the City Council at its Jan. 17 meeting and takes effect immediately.
“The main goal of this is to cushion the costs incurred for new software purchases and maintenance, primarily targeting the initial costs of the Energov software program, which cost approximately $350,000,” according to a staff report.
Had the fee been in place from September 2015 to August 2016, when Sandy Springs had 4,720 permit applications, the city could have collected $169,920 in total technology surcharges, staff estimated.
A check of surrounding, local municipalities found none levying a technology surcharge in their permit application fees; and for the metro area, only DeKalb County requiring a technology surcharge, of $20, staff said.
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