Fine to post here. It’s a bit difficult from the info you have provided to give an answer, there seems to be a standard fee imposed by either the Strata Manager or the OC administering your block. A one size fits all approach rather than you having to pay the actual costs incurred in your application. Depending on the scope of the works you are applying for (your interpretation of “small” may differ to others) the $500 fee imposed may indeed be a bargain, especially if engineering reports have to be assessed, or a special by-law has to be drawn up, a meeting of all owners convened, then provided the by-law is passed by special resolution, then registered at the LPI. With a large block of 160 units, postage and photocopying alone would be a substantial figure.
So it really gets down to whether you already have in place a general bylaw which covers the scope of your works, and the impact which they may have on the building and your neighbours.