| Sacramento, California,
development fees to skyrocket from $750 to $2833 to pay The Nature
Conservancy
(Note: Doesn't this bear a striking resemblance to the Mafia and 'protection money,' or extortion?) August 21, 2003 The Bakersfield Californian P.O. Box 440 Bakersfield, California 93302 Fax: 661-395-7380 661-395-7500 To submit a Letter to the Editor: opinion@bakersfield.com (250-word limit) Sacramento, California (AP) - Builders will have to pay more to develop land in south Sacramento County, after supervisors more than tripled a building fee that's used to 'buy habitat' for 'threatened' hawks. The fee hike means the developers who want to build on land in the unincorporated county south of the American River will now have to pay $2,833 an acre -- up from the previous fee of just $750 an acre. The move by supervisors Tuesday followed an announcement by The Nature Conservancy that it would no longer administer the habitat conservation program (HCP) without a significant fee hike. Mike Eaton, director of the conservancy's Consumnes River and Delta projects, called the $750 fee 'grossly inadequate.' Home builders argued against the increase, saying politicians need to realize the cumulative effect of these fees. "These fees don't exist in a vacuum," said Brian Cooley of the Building Industry Association. http://www.bakersfield.com/state_wire/story/3720729p-3747653c.html |