St. Paul county council has denied a request to refund a $1,000 application fee submitted by Intergrated Signs Solutions, an organization that applied to allow electronic signs in Industrial Districts.
The application, approved on September 9, aimed to introduce digital signage in schools to improve communication with students and parents. However, during the council’s regular meeting on September 23, the request to waive the application fee was rejected.
Garry Perry, an independent development permits agent with Integrated Signs Solutions, had written to the council on July 16, suggesting that the amendment could have been initiated by the town itself, given that similar bylaw updates have already been made in other municipalities. He argued that the change would benefit St. Paul’s schools, providing them with “equal opportunity” to use digital signage technology and enhance communication with students and parents. Perry reasoned that, because the amendment would serve the public interest, the fee should be waived.
“We believe the support of administration for this application acknowledges this amendment might normally be one brought forward by administration,” Perry wrote, asking the mayor and council to consider waiving the fee.
During the meeting, council members debated the request. Coun. Ron Boisvert asked whether the fee had already been paid, which Aline Brousseau, Director of Planning and Legislative Services, confirmed. Boisvert questioned the logic behind requesting a fee waiver after payment had been made. Brousseau explained that the request was filled around the time of application, but the decision was made to address the amendment first and consider the refund request later.
Coun. Nathan Taylor raised the issue of whether the refund would benefit Intergrated Signs Solutions or the Conseil Scolaire Centre-Est (CSCE), for whom Perry had submitted the application. Brousseau could not confirm this detail. Taylor acknowledged the potential benefits of keeping funds within school boards but stated he could not support the motion without knowing if the money would go directly to the schools.
Mayor Maureen Miller expressed concern that granting the refund could set a precedent, “It would be no risk then to the developer, or for whoever’s asking for the change,” she said.
In the end, the council voted to deny the request, upholding their decision not to refund the $1,000 application fee.
