Already during the very early stages of discussing anti-blight enforcement in the county, our commissioners are fretting and wringing their hands over how to fund and staff enforcement.
Strange indeed, considering they already have a solution they’ve been employing for many years – impact fees.
Let’s impose an additional fee on the subdivision process, used to identify, flag and clean up the messes. It seems fair to impose this on the landowners and developers who stand to profit from the division and development of real estate throughout the county.
Our commissioners are cozy with the old landowners seeking to divide and sell their parcels, as well as with the developers and the real estate industry, all of whom will scream bloody murder – and instead prefer to load this onto homeowners through increased property taxes, or perhaps another sales tax imposed on all county residents.
Tough luck. If you want to dance, you’ve got to pay the fiddler.
Chris Allen Barnhouse
Cortez
