County sets fees for GIS work

A new fee schedule has been adopted for maps and property ownership lists created by the Flathead County Geographic Information Systems Office.

The new fees are based on the costs of ink, paper and staff time to create the materials, GIS Program Manager Mindy Cochran said. Cochran said she reviewed fees charged by other counties.

The new fees had to be set by a resolution approved by the county commissioners because the GIS office is now part of the county’s information technology department.

When GIS was under the umbrella of the clerk’s office, fees were set by state law.

The cost for GIS mapping work by the county staff is now $20 per half hour. Maps 18 inches and larger sell for 30 cents a square foot. Non-certified GIS ownership lists can be created for an hourly rate of $40. The rate for certified lists increases to $75 an hour or $150 an hour for a rush job, which can be completed in 48 hours or less.

Printing fees range from 10 cents a page for standard black and white pages to $1.25 for large-format color pages.

People also may purchase data on compact discs for 50 cents or digital video discs for $1.