DALTON, Mass. — The Planning Board approved a draft of the updated variance and special permit application during its meeting on Wednesday. 

 

The variance and special permit fee application will become effective if the town's legal counsel approves it. The board will have to approve the application again following legal counsel's review. 

 

According to the town bylaws, town boards and officers have the authorization to change fees. 

 

The updated application adjusts how applicants pay for the certified abutters letters. 

 

The updated variance and special permit application sheet breaks down the costs for the abutters list, the two Berkshire Eagle legal postings, and the flat certified mail fee for eight letters to abutting towns, the applicant, and notice of the decision to the applicant. 

 

Then charges an additional cost of $8.69 per abutter. 

 

The Board of Assessors certified abutters list is $25, and the flat certified mail fee for eight letters will remain at $69.52. 

 

The two Eagle legal advertisements for the public hearing are $132.40 each but are subject to change if the newspaper changes its prices in the future. 

 

Town Planner Janko Tomasic informed the board in May that the cost of completing the services is higher than the cost of taking action on the application due to rising prices for materials and services. 

 

Before the update, the variance and special permit application fee charged by the Board of Appeals and the Planning Board was $375. 

 

This is intended to cover the cost of labor, time, materials, postage for the certified abutters list for abutter notification, postage for the certified mail for the notice of the decision, and two Berkshire Eagle legal advertisements for the public hearing.

 

"According to the data, the base cost for a permit [and variance] application is barely enough to cover the cost of the application process," Tomasic's special permit costs breakdown said.  

 

Based on the last six permits, the least expensive permit to complete was $414 because the cost of the steps in the permit process has increased. The flat certified mail fee for eight letters is $69.52. 

 

The abutters list is $25, and two legal advertisements in The Berkshire Eagle are $268.40. 

 

It is unclear if the cost of the Eagle's legal advertisements will increase, so the updated application includes that the cost of the legal postings is subject to change.

 

These base expenses only left $12.19 for the postage for the Notice of Public Hearing letters. 

 

The town is legally required to send a Notice of Public Hearing letter to all abutters within 300 feet of the property.