St. Clair Shores makes changes to fee schedule

ST. CLAIR SHORES — At its meeting on Dec. 1, the St. Clair Shores City Council approved updated prices for a variety of fees within the city. 

Community and Development Inspections Director Denise Pike said in an interview she and other city staff members began looking at the amounts when she first started at the city. Though she didn’t know the exact year or date, she said the fees haven’t been updated for about a decade. 

“The statute allows us to charge fees that are commensurate with the cost of providing the service and that was not happening,” Pike said. 

She said they needed to reexamine what it costs to provide services and what they are currently charging. 

A few of the updated fees include those for signage, concrete and fence permits with building, plumbing, electrical and other permits still in review. The increased fees went into effect Jan. 1. 

Pike said they hope to be done with updates before the next budget year begins on July 1 and that they can continue to review them every year as part of the budget process, which typically begins in February. 

“That means we really need to be finished the first quarter of 2026 with the review and recommendation so we can get it on council’s agenda and then subsequently get it posted,” Pike said. 

Pike said the updates have been a long time coming with multiple conversations with subcommittees, help from council members Chris Vitale and Linda Bertges, and the assistance of staff at City Hall. 

She said the first time this subject was brought before the council was in August 2024. 

“This was not a decision that council took lightly,” Pike said. “This was something they’ve deliberated for the last 18 months or so.” 

Costs were determined by what they charge and how much time and labor it takes for members of city staff to complete the service. 

“It wasn’t, ‘Let’s just put a number on it.’ It was, ‘Let’s look at the real fees so that we know that we’re not overcharging residents and then let’s make the fees commensurate with what it actually costs us,’” Pike said. 

During the meeting, Pike said they looked at a lot of other communities and their pricing. She said while they are not competing, the prices are still very competitive. 

Some of these fees are not yet equal with what it takes to complete the service, but, Pike said, staff and council members didn’t want to increase the price a huge amount right off the bat. 

“In some cases, we’re still not there but we’re much closer,” Pike said. 

Councilwoman Candice Rusie said she would like to review ordinances related to the special land use, garage sales and a few other issues. She also recommends keeping the penalties the same, not listing them as fees and listing a penalty clause. She acknowledged the amount of work put into the process. 

“I just don’t like it being called a fee when we know it’s operating as a penalty and a disincentive,” Rusie said. 

She went on to say the definition of a fee is very specific under Michigan law and they need to be careful. She also recommended a bigger breakdown of all the categories for voting and clarity purposes.  

Rusie said she doesn’t agree with some of the administrative fees for city attorneys and others during meetings of the Planning Commission and a few other things. 

“For each site plan approval, we’re saying it’s $300 for the city attorney to attend a Planning Commission meeting for two hours when we know each approval isn’t two hours,” Rusie said.

During the meeting and in the interview, Pike said this isn’t a money grab for her department and others. She said they understand the shocking price hike and understands that it is a lot. 

“We can’t make a profit,” Pike said during the meeting. 

The item was approved 6-1 with the addendum that the “work without permit” fee moves to the penalty clause instead of the fee clause. Rusie opposed the item. 

The full list of the changed fees can be seen on the St. Clair Shores website, scsmi.net.