Butler County commissioners agreed last week to go ahead with a proposal to establish fees for developing or subdividing land in the county.

The move was among a set of recommendations from a budget review committee that was appointed last year by the incoming board of commissioners.

County Planning Director Dave Johnston said he has no firm estimates of the annual revenue from the new set of fees, but it could be as high as $100,000. He doesn't expect the fee schedule to be effective until January.

He said the fees will offset the costs of reviewing the development and subdivision plans that are submitted to his office. There is a full-time employee in his office who reviews development and subdivision plans and the salary is about $40,000. Additionally, he said he reviews some plans and also occasionally needs legal advice.

"We're not looking to gouge anybody with this,'' Mr. Johnston said, noting that the fees that are ultimately adopted will be in line with the regional market.

He acknowledged that most developers and landowners will end up paying such fees twice if the land happens to be located within a municipality that has its own planning department and planning fees.

More than half of the county's 57 municipalities have land development and subdivision ordinances on the books. About 90 percent of the plans submitted to the county have already been reviewed by municipal planners.

Still, Mr. Johnston said, he isn't doing anything unusual for the region. "All the counties that surround Butler County do this,'' he said.

While the fees haven't been finalized, a draft document proposes a minimum of $100 for a simple subdivision. The fees would climb as the extent of the project expands, he said.