Auburn residents will be paying a bit more to park in the city garage come July. But they will also be paying less to add extra rooms to their homes.

The city recently released an updated list of fees covering everything from using the pool at Casey Park to purchasing a year-long license to run a junkyard.

While many of the fees are the same as last year, some of them have risen and others have been removed altogether.

Auburn city councilors approved the amended fees Thursday at their last business meeting.

The consolidated fee schedule includes approximately 50 changes. Most of the increases were made to parking-related fees, while all the fees that were removed involved building permits.

According to City Manager Mark Palesh, the fee hikes are “very minimum” this year and are related to the city's cost of doing business.

“Actually, they took out a lot more city revenue than added to it,” Palesh said.

The changes in the building permits reflected the city council's desire to make it easier to fix up their properties, Palesh said.

City Councilor Matthew Smith requested during the council meeting that the building permit fees be removed. Any type of fee from the government is double taxation, he said Wednesday.

“Individuals should not be punished for making repairs on their house or making their homes look better,” Smith said. “A person's home is something special. That is an individual's own private property.”

During last week's meeting, Smith asked to remove the requirement for permits and fees to carry out such projects. However, while residents no longer need to pay fees for those building improvements, they still must obtain permits from the city, according to Palesh.

“If there are any safety issues, we need to let them know,” Palesh said. “The city is here to help, and part of what the city does is look out for the safety of its citizens.”

Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.

The following changes to city fees are effective July 1

Garage parking fees

• General hourly parking: first two hours up from $1.25 to $1.50, two to three hours up from $3 to $3.25, three to four hours up from $4 to $4.50, four to five hours up from $5 to $5.50, five to six hours up from $6 to $6.50, six to seven hours up from $7 to $7.75, seven hours and more up from $8 to $8.75.

• Cayuga County jurors and members of a grand jury will be charged a maximum of $6 a day.

• Volunteers for the county Office of the Aging will receive a 20 percent discount while working in the YMCA. They previously received free parking.

• Long-term, undercover parking permits: one month up from $40 to $45, three months $100 to $120, six months $175 to $195, one year $300 to $350

• Long-term, rooftop parking permits: one month up from $20 to $25, three months up from $50 to $65, six months up from $100 to $120.

Building permits

• For bath remodel: from $25 to no fee.

• For deck: from $25 to no fee.

• To add one room: from $10 plus 10 cents per square foot to no fee.

• To build sheds and gazebos: from $10 to no fee for structures 150 square foot maximum and 750 square foot total.

• To put in a driveway: new permit, but no fee required.

Business licenses

• For peddler/solicitor: up from $10 to $15 per day, and from $100 to $250 per year.

• For transient merchant: up from $90 to $125 per day.

• For automobile junkyard: up from $25 to $100 per year.

• For auctioneer: up from $100 to $125 per year.

• For sidewalk cafe: up from $20 to $200 per year.

• For mobile vending cart: up from $300 to $500 per year.

Miscellaneous

• If city has to remove grass clippings, snow or trash for code violation, offender is charged $90 for first hour and $70 for every subsequent hour. Second offenders are now charged double that amount.

• RSVP banners up from $35 to $45.

• Foreclosure fee up from $300 to $350.

• Returned check fee up from $15 to $25.

• New fee charges $250 for request for zoning amendment.