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Commissioners proceed with stormwater fee

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 8:48 PM PST

By Barbara LaBoe

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Cowlitz County residents near Longview and Kelso will pay a new stormwater utility fee in 2009, but just how much is still being determined.

Tuesday, county commissioners approved the mechanism to collect fees for the new stormwater program. The money will be used to educate the public about stormwater concerns, map the existing system and enforce rules prohibiting dumping.

The stormwater utility affects the urban parts of the county around its two largest cities and includes Lexington and the areas north of Kelso and west of Longview. No other county cities are part of the utility because they don’t have the required population.

County staff proposed Tuesday that they charge all single-family homes a flat fee of $43.26 a year for the utility. An estimated 3,900 homes would be affected. Earlier drafts had the fee at $52 but commissioners asked it be decreased. Business and other owners would pay more based on how much paving and buildings they have on site, though not until 2010.

During a public hearing on the matter, though, residents questioned the new fee — and the program in general. Only a handful of people spoke, but those who did had strong feelings about the proposal.

Bill White, of Kalama, wouldn’t be affected by the utility and argued that he, and the rest of the county, should be. That would reduce the overall cost, he said, and would show that all residents are responsible for keeping rivers, streams and lakes clean.

That said, he also questioned the cost estimates for the program and argued existing staff could handle the work.

Jim Collins, who lives near Castle Rock, also wouldn’t pay the fee. But, he said it’s still unfair and accused county leaders of adding another tax on residents without their consent. Collins’ comments became heated at times, with him telling commissioners they were “rubber stamping” another fee for citizens.

“You can do anything you want to do and that’s just what you guys have done,” Collins said. “You’re shoving this down our throats.”

The fee is to pay for the $246,800 annual cost of the stormwater program. It is lower than Longview, Kelso, Centralia and Chehalis, though more than the current Clark County fee.

Commissioner George Raiter said the program is required and must be paid for, but he asked county staff to examine a couple of options and delayed setting the actual fee until the commissioners Dec. 9 meeting.

In particular Raiter was interested in seeing if there’s a way to tell which homes are smaller than the county average and thus might qualify for less of a fee. The current plan gives all homes the same flat fee but some residents Tuesday questioned if that was fair. The averaged flat fee, they argued, makes people with smaller homes and lower incomes pay as much as those with much larger homes.

Raiter said he wants to know if there’s a cost-effective way to distinguish between the homes. If it will take a lot of work, though, Raiter said it might be better to stick with the flat fee.

“We don’t want to spend dollars chasing pennies,” he said.

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my 2 cents wrote on Dec 3, 2008 4:13 AM:

" Does anyone know what the boundary's are other than "Lexington and the areas north of Kelso and west of Longview" "

IN MY OPINION wrote on Dec 3, 2008 6:34 AM:

" I would like to elect out of this fee as it never rains on my property. Thank you very much for your attention to this matter....What a joke!!! "

Resident wrote on Dec 3, 2008 6:56 AM:

" Sounds like a really bad idea to me. Soon property owners are going to be taxed out of their homes then where will the money come from. "

towboater wrote on Dec 3, 2008 7:43 AM:

" A mandate by the Dept of Ecology?
Who are these guys?

Im serious, what the hell are they good for except demanding money to perform research on things that are not a problem to anyone except themselves.

$85 buisness fee.
$235 response fee to fuel over 100 gals.
Whats next?
Who are these guys? "

Kalama Dude wrote on Dec 3, 2008 7:50 AM:

" Where are all the tax and liberal haters when their voice is needed most? This went through mainly because everyone was too busy to speak in the proper forum. "

US CITIZEN wrote on Dec 3, 2008 8:13 AM:

" if its for mapping and education it does not seem fair that only part of the people have to pay for this. what is the reason for that? my brother has a house on the west side of longview his ditch in front of his house leads nowhere.this sounds like a lawsuit! "

Howdy wrote on Dec 3, 2008 8:55 AM:

" Just another small sign the tusted County Commissioners have "We The People's" best intrest in mind. I would really like to ask George Raiter, Kathleen Johnson, and Axel Swanson the last time they had to think twice about buying a loaf of bread, or only being able to pay half of their water bill for the month because things are tight and you do not believe you can make it to your next paycheck? Commissioner's, where do you think extra money comes from? Make sure you spend, spend and spend on your family and friends for the holidays. Me, I need to save for another fee for the commissioner's coffers. My son can get a gift or two next year. That is if there are'nt anymore phantom fee's to deal with. Happy Holidays George, Kathleen, and Axel! "

No rose glasses wrote on Dec 3, 2008 9:43 AM:

" I would highly recommend (ALL Residence Tax Payers) within the bounderies of this county, become interested enough, to be versed on the bounderies as layed out at this meeting yesterday. There was a very dissapointing turnout, of approx. 35 folks, most of whom are not even affected this next year, by the new ordinance being shoved through our system. Many pointed questions floored by folks at this meeting, were never answered directly. Mainly asked about the(EPA SW Phase 2 & MS4s) guide lines of an operated system, of which there is none, only road side ditches. There are going to be a lot of upset tax payers in this area, on Valentines Day this next Feb.,when they receive their CC Property statments. Columbia Hgts,Hazel Dell rd., all of Lexington, CoalCreek to the end, Kelso up through Behshel Hts.Highlander estates,Allen street,So Kelso area beyond city limits,west longview beyond city limits, and that's just a start. Taxation with no represention, (Bean County 2) with this flat rate system, and no real plan, other than collect taxes, and then figure how to implement controls? Please note the next meeting to be held on DEC.9th @ 9:00 am and attend. 3rd floor Kelso Court. Stand UP and be a voice in how 3-4 appointed officals shove flat rate taxes upon our community residents. As it stands, I see no requirment,stating via the EPA, that we have to be taxed at this time, only a Plan implemented of which, for the most part,NONE "

Truthiness wrote on Dec 3, 2008 9:45 AM:

" The reason this isn't being called a "tax" is because that would require voter approval. So they think they're being smart by naming it a "fee". Personally, I'm challenging the validity of this fee. Do the county county commissioners have the authority to reach into my wallet and take $50 any time they want to? "

TDN Bad Boy wrote on Dec 3, 2008 10:29 AM:

" Hey Kalama Kid, I was in attendance at this meeting and it was very clear that regardless of what was said, they were going to pass this. So it made no sense to oppose this in this forum. The decision was already done and sealed. "

crowsfeet wrote on Dec 3, 2008 11:21 AM:

" I live in one of those areas to be taxed. There is not even a paved road to my house and the rain water goes where it has for a thousand years. I have donated to Neighbors In Need since it was established and gave at least $3500 in that time. Now being on a fixed income and having my property tax raised during a property value decline and now this new BS storm water tax, I will need to keep my charity donations for myself. "

American First wrote on Dec 3, 2008 11:31 AM:

" Kalama Dude, most of them were working, do you think the the meeting being held at 9:00am was accidental? It was a planned tactic to keep people from attending, and it worked like a charm. Had the meeting been held at 6:00 or 7:00pm, the attendance would likely have been different. This was all part of the commissioners evil plan no doubt, they didn't want to hear or deal with opposition from the peasants... "

Kalama Dude wrote on Dec 3, 2008 11:50 AM:

" Oh I know all the normal excuses and recourse, but when you have a chance to actually make a possible impression or impact the hoarded masses aren't there and most, other than apparently Bad Boy, at least I know who he is now at least, didn't figure their voice was important or of course they were just too busy and the time of day makes for a convenient excuse. Feel free to put down the shroud of secrecy and actually write a letter for publish or come to the meeting and see what you can or cannot do. Excuses are just like you know what and they rarely help explain anything. Good job though to Bad Boy, who gets my vote for blogger of the week. Keep up the work. "

skibum wrote on Dec 3, 2008 12:16 PM:

" Everybody had the opportunity to vote these County Clownissioners out of office during the last election. Personally, I did my part in trying to. How many times does a dog need to be kicked before he learns? Apparently, here in Cowlitz County, a bunch of times. Personally, I'm tired of getting kicked! RECALL! "

country gal wrote on Dec 3, 2008 1:12 PM:

" Although I don't live there, I'm with Truthiness and would challenge the validity of the 'fee'. When I first heard this a few days ago, I thought, what? Next would be sunshine fee. I also don't understand the purpose of the stormwater fee. I've never heard of it. What stormwater program? Is this really for real? Is this another waste of taxpayers' money? "

Atrucker wrote on Dec 3, 2008 3:02 PM:

" What comes to my mind , is how do you meter storm water runoff, and just where and how will this happen . If the county can not offer a good answer for this , then I think I would call their bluff.
If you want to fix storm water problems , start with the silt dam that does not work any more.
But a flat fee for water that does not go the right way ? How silly does that sound .
So now they want to tax the rain. OMG "

argoman wrote on Dec 3, 2008 6:22 PM:

" One Word: REVOLUTION "

billjr64 wrote on Dec 3, 2008 6:52 PM:

" I propose a fee of 500m dollars a year for all those found to be left handed to support the blanckety blank fund. Since us right handers are in control let`s tax the heck out of them. "

all-right wrote on Dec 3, 2008 6:54 PM:

" shoulda voted for tom wilson if you voted for johnson district 1.he was against it.oh thats right he's a republican,liberals aren't swift enough to vote on issues.i'd like to meet and buy tdn Bad Boy lunch someday.keep up the good work. "

skibum wrote on Dec 3, 2008 7:21 PM:

" Having a background in "environmental compliance" while working for a major American company, "stormwater" concerns are a big part of most major corporate environmental policies. The EPA will fine a company heavily should they be found negligent by introducing contaminates into local rivers and streams. To reach out to the rural homeowner and charge them this fee is outright ludicrous. Nothing in my training (and it was pretty extensive) ever mentioned the guy who lived in the country and had a car parked in his driveway. "Stormwater" policy is designed to control contaminates from parking garages, production, heavy equipment, etc. It has nothing to do with the average Joe trying to live his life. A class action law suit should be filed by the citizens against this action. To say the fee if for education, I say BS. Send everybody a flier about "stormwater" and be done with it. It should cost about $.50 per flier not $43 per year. Bunch of crooks! "

G444QM wrote on Dec 4, 2008 11:36 AM:

" THE ROAD SURFACE DRAINS ON TO MY DRIVEWAYS, SO HOW DO I IMPOSE A FEE UPON THE COUNTY? ONE SECTION OF MY YARD IS ALMOST DEAD DUE TO THE RUN OFF FROM THE ROAD, IF I HAVE IT TAKEN CARE OF BY A LAWN COMPANY CAN I SUBMIT THE BILL TO THE COUNTY? MORE TAXES (FEES), LESS MONEY FOR THE FAMILY. "

dude wrote on Dec 4, 2008 5:36 PM:

" So this must be one of those newly funded green jobs the gov was talking about. "

Jensdad wrote on Dec 4, 2008 7:43 PM:

" When it comes to any article having to do with either a county commissioners or city council decission to raise taxes for some screw ball idea they never come on here to debate the concerns of their fellow neighbors. You know they have to be reading these comments and wondering how long it will take till the average population is fed up enough to do something about it. Hiding behind closed door meetings and early morning ones aren't the reason voters put them where they are. When will they figure out you can't have everything you want and if you think you can it won't be long before you end up with nothing. Should there be a semi annual review of their performance and adjust their monitary amount like any average working stiff? "

skibum wrote on Dec 10, 2008 6:41 AM:

" So, if I understand this right, if there wasn't a huge public outcry due to this proposed FEE, the commissioners would have went ahead with their plan as initially hatched. Do they not have the ability to understand reason without the citizens getting all up in arms? Aren't they voted into office to represent the citizens of the County? Do we need to have a baby sitter keep an eye on them so they don't make regular irrational decisions. Hopefully, TDN will continue to reports about upcoming issues that require Commissioner involvement so we citizens can help them understand right from wrong before they act with total disregard for our best interests. "

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