Taking a Stand: Different fees are a divider
It’s brother versus brother. North versus South. Godzilla versus King Kong. It’s a civil war the likes we haven’t seen since the infamous fence behind the old William Biles School a few years ago where the city partitioned “ours” from “theirs.”
Recent moves by the city to enact a two-tiered fee system, charging non-city residents more than city residents to use some of the recreational facilities in the city, have created a class system. The mere fact a person lives outside McMinnville city limits designates them to the “outsider” class, making them somewhat of an alien when they use city facilities. This, despite the fact the majority of people who use the Civic Center live outside the city.
The reason for this class system is the age-old argument city taxpayers pay for recreational facilities in the city while non-city residents pay no city taxes. It’s also pointed out city residents also pay county taxes, meaning they are doubly taxed.
However, this excuse doesn’t hold water, pardon the pool pun, when you consider the fact two-thirds of the total population in Warren County lives outside McMinnville city limits. What these numbers mean is that persons outside the city pay two-thirds of the county’s overall expenses, thereby leaving only one-third of the bill to be picked up by city taxpayers. And, given the large nurseries in the county and the numerous large plants, I’d venture to say more than two-thirds of the total county tax levy is picked up outside the city.
What this means is county residents are paying for two-thirds of the county roads and county services such as sheriff’s department and ambulance which are also used, or are available, to city residents. However, outside of their county taxes, city residents are not charged any additional fees for these services. Bottom line is, when you weigh the additional county funds paid by out-of-city residents against the taxes paid by city residents for recreational facilities, it all equals out.
Seeing the city wants to enact a class system when it comes to recreation, maybe non-city residents, who, by the way, make up the majority of the districts in the County Commission, should move to make county services a tiered fee system.
I can see it now, we can set up toll booths on county roads and check driver’s licenses. Those who live in the county pay nothing, but a passage fee of one American dollar would be charged to motorists who reside inside the city limits to make up for the amount they support the total county tax levy. We could even have two separate court fees. Those who get busted for drunk driving in the county would pay $350, while those I the city would be assessed a $360 fee. And don’t forget about ambulance service. We could tack on an extra 10 bones to a trip to the hospital for city residents.
Hey, if it’s right for the city, then there’d be nothing wrong for non-city residents to make up the difference. We’ll let them slide on the school issue since the city donates its sales tax earnings to the county’s schools, but everything else will require user fees.
I understand if there’s a need to generate extra revenue by charging some kind of user fee. However, the fee should be the same for everyone. This class system basically serves to just alienate a large section of Warren County. What’s next? Are we going to put the big fence back up behind William Biles?
(Duane Sherrill is crime and court reporter for the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].)