By Alan Van Ormer
Tribune editor

The Dell Rapids City Council heard the first reading of two different ordinances, adjusted the building permit fees for 2010 and acquired property for the proposed bike trail at its Nov. 16 board meeting.
The city of Dell Rapids purchased five acres of land along the border of Rickeman Field for $3,000. The purchase allows the city access for a new bike trail. Construction is slated to begin in 2010.
Also, the city council approved the building permit fees for 2010.
According to City Administrator S. L. Martin, the building permit fees are not changing, but the valuation upon how the fees are based is changing. “Those fees have increased,” he said.
In 2009, the city set all the fees at $25. However, the 2010 change will allow the city’s building permit fees to be more uniform with surrounding communities and provide revenue to the city to help maintain compliance with various building codes, according to Martin.
For example, the building permit fee for a 2,000 square foot house with an unfinished basement was $355 in 2008. That fee will increase to $550 in 2010. Another example, a 1,200 square foot house with a finished basement and a 24x26-attached garage cost $275 in 2008. That cost in 2010 would be $432.50.
The city council heard the first reading of two different ordinances.
One ordinance rezones a portion of land in the Timber Ridge Addition from an agriculture designation to a residential designation in order to build a new home.
The second ordinance revises the current truck route ordinance. The current ordinance allows trucks to travel on a designated route through town.
The first reading of the ordinance revises the truck route ordinance to restrict trucks heavier than five tons from going off the truck route. The city council is concerned about the impact on the streets.