Columbia City Council approves “public inconvenience fee”

UPDATE: The Columbia City Council approved a “public inconvenience fee,” for developers who close roads and sidewalks Monday night.

Multiple amendments were made to the proposal.

One of the amendments made would include where the “inconvenience fee” money would go. City council members agreed that the money would go towards improvements to either roads, sidewalks, alleyways, or parking lanes and it is not allowed to be transferred anywhere else.

Another amendment made would enforce how many days in advance a developer would need to notify the city that a pubic right of way would be closed.

Mayor Treece addressed the city council on Monday night saying he hopes the fee would encourage developers to speed up their construction projects.

ORIGINAL STORY: The Columbia City Council is set to vote on a “public inconvenience fee,” for developers who close roads and sidewalks.

The fee was introduced in September.

The Downtown Columbia Leadership Council hosted a public hearing in November to get input on the fee structure and plan.

Developers would pay 20 cents for each foot of sidewalk they close, 30 cents per foot of a parking lot spot, 35 cents per foot of road and 2 cents per foot of alleyway for each day of the closure.

Representatives from the Columbia Chamber of Commerce said the rules should only apply only downtown.