The Warrenton Board of Aldermen approved a partial fee waiver for building permits for the Warren County 911 Communications Center expansion project.

Warren County Emergency Communications Administrator Amy Leach asked for the waiver of building permit fees so that the 911 center could use the funds that would be spent on permits to the building and staffing.

City Manager Brandie Walters said there are two fees for every building project. One fee is a permitting fee which pays for staffing inspections and the permit review process. The other is a plan review fee that is done by a third party George Butler and Associates, which is a firm that performs plan reviews and inspection services for a wide variety of entities. Walters said the plan review fee to be paid to GBA is $3,134, while the city’s inspection fee is $8,857.

Alderman Larry Corder said he didn’t want to get on a slippery slope where other entities would come in asking for fee waivers if the request to the 911 center is approved.

Alderman Christine Wait said she didn’t have a problem with waiving the fees, but she asked about whether it was financially feasible for the city to waive fees.

Walters said that the decision was ultimately up to the board, but that she would recommend not waiving the $3,134 that is paid to GBA.

Mayor Eric Schleuter said he wanted it to be clear that the 911 center provides services to the city of Warrenton at no cost. Wait said this was why she was in favor of waiving the fees because of the service provided by the center.

“These are EMS services that are supporting our community,” Wait said.

Ultimately the board voted unanimously 6-0 to waive the $8,857 inspection fees, but not the $3,134 plan reviews fees.

The board had previously approved a site plan for the expansion of the 911 center.

The expansion is part of improvements that will be funded by a quarter-cent sales tax increase approved by voters during the April 2025 election.

The expansion of the building is only a part of the improvements that will be funded by the sales tax increase as the dispatch center plans to make upgrades to its radio system and hire additional dispatchers as well. 

The project is set to cost roughly $7.5 million, according to Leach, funded by bonds. Of those funds, $7 million will be dedicated to construction, with an additional $560,000 for the radio expansion. 

The plan, as presented to the Warrenton Board of Aldermen, would call for a 5,853-square-foot addition to the current 911 dispatch center. The addition would be constructed north of the existing 5,000-square-foot facility in what is currently being used as a parking lot. The parking lot would then be extended northward and along the current access road to the facility, according to the site plan. The plan for the site was designed by JEMA Architecture along with Civil Engineering Design Consultants.