County overcharging city residents? |
| August 4, 2013 |
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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same level as all other residents in the county, I feel that the $27,707 fee charged to the city for dispatch should be rescinded.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. |
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Tom Mayo Bonners Ferry |