Township stands pat on $1 million permit fee for fertilizer plant

SPIRITWOOD - The planned CHS nitrogen fertilizer plant will pay about $1 million to Spiritwood Township for a building permit, if the developers proceed with construction.
The township’s board of supervisors didn’t modify the existing permit fee structure during its meeting Monday.
By not taking action, the township will use its existing fee structure of $1 per $1,000 of construction cost. The plant is in the planning stages with an estimated total cost of about $1.5 billion. Actual construction cost is estimated at $1 billion.
“I think the fee is fundamentally too high for everyone,” said Clarence Daniels, chairman of the board.
Other board members disagreed.
“This will lead to a lot of stress on the community,” said George Quigley, township supervisor, referring to the planned CHS project. “I would like to have the company here, but they should pay the fee.”
CHS representatives did not address the meeting.
“We came here to see if there was any flexibility,” said Dan Mack, vice president for rail transportation and terminal operations for CHS.
A final decision on the project is expected from CHS in January or February.