It’s no longer a question of how much to boost building permit fees for rural Douglas County, but how fast.

Tonight, county commissioners will discuss following through with last month’s decision to boost fees charged for the county’s inspection services on private construction projects.

The charge for a permit on a $100,000 home, currently $480, would go to $994 by 2005.

Commissioners will consider two options for getting there:

l One would increase the price of such a permit to $614 in 2003, then to $785 for 2004 and up to $994 beginning in 2005.

l The other would jump to $785 for 2003, have no change in 2004, then rise to $994 in 2005.

Either way, the idea is to bring the county’s fees in line with those charged by the city of Lawrence and recommended by the International Conference of Building Officials, said Keith Dabney, the county’s director of building and codes.

“Numerous localities charge the recommended fee, with Douglas County being significantly lower than the majority,” said Dabney, noting that the county currently charges only 48 percent of what’s called for in the Uniform Building Code.

Also on the agenda for tonight’s meeting, which begins at 6:35 at the County Courthouse, 1100 Mass.:

l Determine whether the planned annexation of 40.4 acres into the city of Eudora fits within the county’s long-term planning guidelines.

l Consider a resolution that would prohibit issuance of building permits on properties served by minimum-maintenance roads.

l Consider approving an updated operations and maintenance manual for Lone Star Lake, along with an emergency action plan for the lake and Washington Creek watershed.

l Consider applying for a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help finance emergency management operations in the county.