County overcharging city residents?
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August 4, 2013 |
Sometimes I have a sense that the county
considers residents of the City of Bonners Ferry
to be refugees, undocumented aliens or, at best,
second class citizens who are a heavier burden
on the county than are those living outside the
city limits.
When the county went to manned sites to reduce
the amount of refuse going into the hole at the
landfill, county people were encouraged but not
required to separate their recyclables at the
sites. Anything in a bag was considered garbage
because, as Commissioner Dan Dinning is so fond
of saying: "We are not the garbage police.”
Commissioners felt this encouragement to recycle
was not enough incentive for city residents and
suggested that unless the city took steps to
recycle, the city's garbage contractor would not
be allowed access to the landfill.
This despite the fact that city residents pay a
yearly solid waste fee to the County. In
addition, city residents pay $138 per year for
mandated garbage pickup and the new recycling
program, and still must haul any lawn waste to
the landfill on their own.
The city has recently received from the county,
a notice of increase in the fee to dispatch city
fire and police. Based on information from the
county clerk’s office, I estimate that all
county residents pay approximately $160 per year
for every $100,000 in taxable property value,
into the county's justice fund, which as I
understand it, includes funding for dispatch.
In addition to the $160, residents inside the
city pay an additional $140 per year on the same
$100,000 to fund city police. As the sheriff's
department is mandated by the state to provide
police protection to all residents of the
county, inside and out of any municipal
boundaries; and as the city has chosen to
provide police protection inside its boundaries,
thus saving the county considerable effort and
expense, and as city residents already fund
dispatch at the same level as all other
residents in the county, I feel that the $27,707
fee charged to the city for dispatch should be
rescinded.
The county dispatches for about eleven different
entities, including state and federal agencies
and charges only the city for the service.
The city pool has been provided to local
residents, at little or no cost, for a great
many years.
This year, a token fee was initiated to attempt
to defray some of the annual cost to the city.
It is not sufficient. The pool needs a new
boiler and ADA access to the tune of about
$20,000. This is in addition to the $40,000
needed annually to keep the pool open.
It is time for the county commissioners and the
community as a whole to decide if our children
and grandchildren are worth a financial
commitment from us all. The city can no longer
bear the burden on its own.
None of this should be construed as anything but
my personal opinion, and in no way is it meant
to convey that these opinions are shared by any
other person or agency. I also do not warrant
any of the dollar amounts in the preceding. They
are honest estimates based on recall, and I
would encourage anyone to verify or dispute
them. I am using them as a tool to clarify
issues. |
Tom Mayo
Bonners Ferry |
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