With several data center developments heading toward Yorkville, the city is increasing inspection fees for large-scale developments to cover costs and make sure staffers don’t get overwhelmed.

City staff explained that in approving new fees—270% higher per new building—the city aimed to offset increased staffing costs, including new hires, while also staying competitive with other towns trying to attract data center developers.

In justifying the increases, the city said just one building for the 228-acre, nine building CyrusOne data center campus will require almost 300 inspections.

City Administrator Bart Olson said current staffing was stretched thin with the high number of inspections needed for BrightFarms and the new Costco, which are both smaller in size than just one data center building.

“The fees are to cover our cost, cover our proposed new staff that would specialize in just these developments, and then provide us with the ability to maybe expand staff in the future,” Krysti Barksdale-Noble, community development director, said during the Feb. 10 City Council meeting.

The city is looking to hire a full-time electrical inspector and a full-time mechanical inspector in the next few years, according to city documents.

Even with the fee increases, city staff said the new fees remain slightly below towns looking to attract data centers, like Aurora, Elk Grove Village, and Hoffman Estates.

The new fees should cover staffing costs while stile keeping fees low enough to remain an attractive place to build for developers, Olson said.

The building permit fee increases approved by City Council go from $1 to $5 per square foot.

There also is a new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing review of $0.75 per square foot for a building exceeding 200,000 square feet.

While these numbers seem low on the surface, the fees quickly add up.

Alderman Chris Funkhouser said for just one CyrusOne building, at 287,000 square feet, the new fees would generate around $1.52 million.

Before the vote, Funkhouser questioned whether the new costs justified the means.

“I don’t want this to be a revenue stream by any means, this needs to be a justified cost,” Funkhouser said during the meeting.

Olson responded that the fee increases match the high hourly rates of the consultants the city has seen, plus the expanded costs for the new hires.

Olson said the city has not yet decided what to do if the new fees generate surplus funds outside of city staffing and hiring costs.