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Ogden • After extensive discussion Monday afternoon, Weber-Morgan Health Board members unanimously approved raising the cap on vehicle emissions fees in Weber County from $25 to $30.
"I'm in favor of an increase. We haven't had one in 13 years," said Jerry Paskett, owner of a Tunex franchise in Roy. He is not a member of the board.
During that time, testing requirements have increased, and equipment had to be updated.
Other counties along the Wasatch Front — Davis, Salt Lake and Utah — have already switched from caps to an open market model where shops can charge whatever their customers are willing to pay.
According to Brian Cowan, an environmental health scientist and program director for the Weber-Morgan Health Department, Salt Lake County stations charge $27 per test on average — but some charge as much as $60. Utah County shop rates range from $15 to $35, but the average is $24.51. Davis County only recently switched to the open market, previously capping fees at $27.50.
Paskett figured that the average emissions test performed in his shop takes about 28 minutes, while Kevin Lott, of John Watson Chevrolet in Ogden, said tests at his dealership can take up to 50 minutes to perform.
Lott figured his per-test profit at $1 to $1.50 after substracting labor and shop costs along with the $3 certificate fee and $1.70 database fee due to the county.
"There's not a whole lot [of profit] there. It keeps people coming back to us, though," Lott said.
Although not present at Monday's meeting, eight residents had submitted comments by email opposing any fee increase.
While Board Chairman Jay Jenkins favored the open market option, Vice-chairwoman Tina Kelley preferred a cap so that customers would have some expectation of what they should be prepared to pay.
The notice for Monday's public hearing specified consideration of the $30 cap only, precluding the board from taking any action on the open market option without scheduling another public hearing, which would mean weeks of delay. The panel, comprising elected officials from Weber and Morgan counties, is not scheduled to reconvene until late August.
For Brandon Bexell, owner of Bexell Chevron in Ogden, that wait could be costly — his shop currently pays out about $800 to $1,000 per month to cover its emission test costs.
"So if we wait a couple of months, it hurts," Bexell said.
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