Panel: Make first fire inspection free By Ray Barrington News-Chronicle Green Bay's Finance Committee recommended going back to free fire inspections - at least, the first one. The city decided in this year's budget to start charging for fire inspections, previously a free service. The average small business charge was $30, city officials said. But many businesses have complained about the fee, saying they were being charged in lieu of overall taxes. During last year's debate, Ald. John Vander Leest asked the council to make the first fire inspection free, and only charge for re-inspections of properties. "You want to reward good behavior," he said. The city added $120,000 to its revenues because of the inspection fees this year. It also gets money from the state for doing the inspections from a fund the state collects from fire insurance payments, an estimated $200,000 this year. Sites with fire protection such as sprinklers are not charged. June Watermolen, owner of Brook Park Apartments, was among those concerned about the fees. She told the committee that it cost her $1,016 for inspections of her 177 apartments. This year, she said, the inspections also included a storage garage that had not been inspected in the past. "We figured it out and based on the time they spent it came to $135 an hour," she said, saying the total was the equivalent of 50 cents per apartment per month. The recommendation also calls for the city to charge, on a third inspection, full expenses including mileage. The issue will be part of the budget deliberations for the city, with the dates for those talks starting to solidify. The budget will be presented to the City Council Nov. 3, with the budget vote Nov. 16. There is still discussion on having the budget adoption meeting start during the day as is done by the Brown County Board. The Finance and Personnel Committees are expected to handle the budget Nov. 10.