Is This A Tax?

I saw this yesterday in the News-Press and it seems to buttress the thought that politicians and staff truly believe that the money you earn is really theirs and you are just temporarily holding it until they need it!

Lee considers raising fees on extra housing units
By Ryan Lengerich
rlengerich@news-press.com
Originally posted on August 09, 2007

Fees to build housing units beyond what Lee County allows could more than triple if commissioners approve the increase at a meeting Tuesday.

If developers want to build more units than the county’s plan allows, they have two options. The developers can make the extra units affordable housing or they can pay the county a fee for each unit which is used to promote affordable housing.

Commissioners are scheduled to hold a public hearing and possibly decide whether to increase the fee from $11,429 per extra unit to $40,000.

Commissioners debated whether to overhaul the program this morning during the monthly management and planning meeting. They directed staff to keep the fee increase hearing on for Tuesday so if passed, it would take effect while they continue reconsider the program.

Paul O’Connor, the county’s director of planning, said the current fee is too low in today’s market.

Now I ask you, is this a tax? If you say no, just wait until you go to buy your next new home! Staff's idea is ...let's hide it, under the guise of the developers need to pay more for the privledge of using their land. The reader will notice, that the staff never acknowledges where the developers are getting the money to pay for this new tripling of a fee. I am positive it is the residents. If a resident wants to live in the targeted development, the purchaser (not the developer) pays an additional $40,000 for the house. Let's get this straight, staff wants the BOCC to push the fees to loan sharks limits, but if the developer does not build market price housing and builds affordable housing, the government, will not charge them these inflated fees. However, staff is not recommending changing the way the zoning process creates huge time delays, demands additional extractions (money), forces the applicant to use high priced consultants and mandates that the developer jump through these hoops three times during the rezoning process. Please remember, that because zoning is a public process there is built in public notification timing that just further slows the process down. Luckily, the BOCC will have hearings where hopefully the pubic will tell the board no way.

I was always told, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck! A tax is a tax!