Building activity, fees up in July

Year-to-date building activity in the township continued ahead of last year’s pace through July.

Chief Building Official Patty Wright reported at the Aug. 8 council meeting that 46 permits were issued last month, for construction valued at about $4.8 million, generating about $55,000 in permit fees. That’s down slightly in terms of construction value from July 2016, when 39 permits were issued for construction worth about $5.4 million, with $43,000 collected in fees.

To the end of July, the township has issued 219 permits for a little more than $30 million worth of buildings. Permit fees collected to that point totaled just over $275,000. At the same point in 2016, 209 permits were issued for construction valued at around $23 million, with close to $190,000 generated in fees.

Wright noted the five-year average of fees collected by the building department for the month of July is $37,127, placing the current month above average. The year-to-date numbers for 2012 to 2016 range from $153,215 to $273,867, which puts the current year above the five-year range as well as the five-year average.