FEES: Answer to growing pains

Sometimes I go back to read things that upset me the first time around. Glenn Miles, KMPO’s executive director, said, “We gave the residents of Kootenai County an opportunity to decide whether or not they wanted to address the traffic congestion, and they’ve selected not to… I respect their wishes.”

I think Mr. Miles has his head in the sand or he is trying to guilt or manipulate the population. What “we” the people of Kootenai County are really saying is that we’ve already paid for several schools, remodeled a few others, enlarged our sewer treatment plant, repaved I-90, and remodeled intersections and signals on 95. The list goes on and on.

To accommodate new arrivals and new development, it’s time for impact fees on housing, maybe $25,000 per single family residence or $10,000 per bedroom in apartments, paid at the time a building permit is issued for roads, schools, etc.

Naturally, developers will add that fee to the price new move-ins will pay for a place to live.

Voila! Success!

JEFF ANDERSON

Coeur d’Alene