Building Department Discusses Raising Fees
Board of County Commissioners Meeting - April 23, 2026
Meeting Details: The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) met in Special Session on Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 9:00 am for a meeting at the Geauga County Office Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Room B303, Chardon, OH. Regular meetings are live streamed through the Geauga ADP Youtube channel. Recordings are available for the public. This meeting was not livestreamed. An agenda is available in advance via request to the Commissioners’ Clerk and at the meeting.
Public Comment Policy: Permitted as outlined in the BOCC’s Public Comment Policy that was adopted on January 28, 2025, revised on April 15, 2025, and again modified on September 30, 2025 and February 19, 2026. Observer Note: There was no public comment at this meeting.
Attendance: Present were Commissioners Carolyn Brakey, James Dvorak and Ralph Spidalieri. Also present were Commissioners’ Clerk Christine Blair, County Administrator Amy Bevan, and Deputy County Administrator Mark Jimison (at the end of the meeting).
County Representatives: Daniel Spada, Director, Building Department; Mike Davet, Assistant Building Official; Nick Gorris, Director, Water Resources and Max Yost, County Communications/Media Specialist.
Others in Attendance: Ben Young, City Manager, Chardon and this Observer from the League of Women Voters Geauga.
Pledge of Allegiance
Public Comment - None on the Agenda due to the fact that this was a Special Meeting
Minutes - No Minutes were submitted for approval Observer Note: Weekly LWVG Observer Reports for the BOCC are available online through April 23, 2026 for informational purposes but are not substitutes for approved minutes. Approved BOCC Minutes are posted online here through November 25, 2025.
Discussion: Mr. Spada and Mr. Davet discussed their recommendations for raising fees and the needs of the department. First they discussed their revenue estimates which were based on several years. They said that the last two years were anomalous due to large commercial buildings in Middlefield (Growscape) and Aurora/Bainbridge (Meijer). The fees are based on square footage, and Mr. Spada said that the Middlefield project was the second largest project in the county. Their estimate for revenue is $750,000, which they said was conservative. Revenue for 2024-2025 was much higher due to these and other large projects, over $1 million.
Mr. Spada discussed staffing and said that they have not met their staffing levels in several years. He stated that they would like to add an administrative assistant, which would put them in the red, which is why they want to increase the fees. He also said that if property taxes “go away” this could cause a building surge, which would be another unknown. Reviewer Note: More information on the movement to abolish property taxes in Ohio is available here.
Mr. Spada and Mr. Davet explained that smaller projects have a different, smaller set of fees. Mr. Davet said that the cost of the other fees (from townships or municipalities) is much more than the building permit fees.
Mr. Spada also noted that they are looking at new software now that they are 90% digital. They currently use New World, but it isn’t the best. They are looking at what other counties are using.
He stated that fees have been adjusted every 3 years since he started in 2012. The last adjustment was 2022.
Mr. Spidalieri noted that when he had a building project in Middlefield, he paid much more in local fees than he paid the county and that Middlefield didn’t actually do any inspections.
Mr. Spada said that the State collects 1% of the residential fee and 3% of the commercial fee. Mrs. Brakey asked what the State did for their part of the collection. Mr. Spada said that they used to send out the large manuals, but that now they are digital.
Mr. Davet explained that he had done a survey of what other communities and counties are charging for fees in order to come up with a new increase.
One percentage mentioned was 5% per year.
Mrs. Brakey said she was in favor of gradual increases.
Mr. Davet said that they would make a full proposal and get ready for the two required public meetings. Their aim is to have the fees ready to implement July 1, 2026.
Meeting adjourned at 9:41 am
Observer Note: Following the meeting, Mr. Spidalieri clarified that only South Russell has its own building inspectors and every other township, village and city has an arrangement with the county. He also repeated that the zoning fees and other fees charged are always much larger than the county fees.
Information and Posted Minutes: Available here.
Next Regular Meeting of the BOCC: The next Regular Meeting of the BOCC will be on Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at the County Administration Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Room B303, Chardon, OH.
Observer: Gail Roussey
Editor: Rooney Moy
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Date Submitted: April 25, 2026
The League of Women Voters Geauga is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. They do not support or oppose individual candidates or parties. Learn more about the LWVG at www.lwvgeauga.org.