With the state of Tennessee requiring a heavy increase in fees to assure good water quality despite difficulties from heavy stormwater runoff, a great many local businesses and property owners are facing some severe cost problems. But fortunately, there will be no adverse effect upon our new local Volkswagen plant that is under construction to produce cars and hire about 2,000 local employees.
It is customary and appropriate for various concessions to be provided to help enable prospective new employers to establish their operations here. And Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield said that Volkswagen was "a very special case." That resulted in VW's being exempted from costly stormwater runoff fees among the reasonable concessions given VW to locate its new assembly plan in Chattanooga.
No one, of course, wants any adverse consequences of water pollution from rain and other drainage into local streams. But the rising costs of runoff fees, and the important fact that Volkswagen will not be adversely affected, should alert us all to the continuing problem, its costs and the potential effects upon our entire economy and water quality.
Chattanooga has had 38 years to adjust to Tennessee law, 37 to adjust to Federal law, and still hasn't made it? Mayor Littlefield has had four years in office and hasn't handled it? I used to assume he was at least a competent administrator; the recent jump in stormwater fees shows something else, however good he may be at many details. It also seems to show slickness, like the annexation business; he could've brought it up in his re-election campaign, instead of keeping quiet and sticking us with the fee later. Since he didn't run on it, and it can't have been a surprise to him, he has no mandate. And IF the rules are easier for cities under 100,000 population, maybe we should split Chattanooga into two cities instead of annexing around the edges; I don't know if this would work, but it'd show a different kind of imagination at city hall. And it may be customary to show favoritism, but triune Jehovah doesn't favor it.
The EPA mandate is to fix the storm water drains and retention basins, that should involve raising the money ONCE and then making the necessary repairs to bring the storm water drains into EPA compliance, and after- simply maintaining the system faithfully instead of slacking for over a decade as they have.
There is absolutely not one ounce of logic in the city needing an additional $22 million in storm water fee revenue each and every year to maintain the storm water drain system.
The initial repairs, due to the City Council neglect, may cost that ONCE but ONLY ONCE, HOWEVER! to maintain it after the necessary repairs are made should be more in line with the $600k per year Hamilton County spends to maintain their storm water system each year.
The City Council is basically adding an additional annual "selective" property tax by stealth and disguising it as a "fee", and exempting their pet projects such as Volkswagen, which amounts to property tax discrimination.
They tried to pull this same crap and property tax discrimination by fee with their attempt to charge license and permit fees to residential property owners in the city that have "wooded areas".
This has to be the most corrupt fleecing of the public by taxes masked as fees this city has ever seen. Time for a clean sweep of city government in the next elections before they tax and fee us all into poverty.
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