The Feb. 16 story reported “Fire Marshal pushes for more inspectors.” The cost of fire protection and inspection has, in the past, been paid by our taxes, but my last inspection cost me a “fee” of $139, which they will find a way to raise. My first well survey was in the $200 range, the next one $400, the last one $1,050, with the state paying half. Now the health department says I have to pay an annual “fee” of $215 to register my well.
To try to keep my water table up, I have my own biomass swale at Joe’s Place Farms, I gravel my parking and roads to allow water to seep down. However, our tax district considers my gravel impervious, so I have to pay another “fee” based on the square footage of my roofs, parking and road areas. For years, I paid a “fee” for Burnt Bridge Creek drainage until they discovered that water doesn’t run uphill.
Part of Waste Connections’ new rate increase is to collect street litter, but we already pay a litter tax. Airlines and car licenses are using more and more fees to raise prices. If they can’t raise taxes, they just create more fees.
