The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on April 12 that individuals, developers and home builders in California may protest impact fees commonly imposed by cities and counties to supposedly pay for new roads, schools, sewers and other public improvements as unconstitutional taxes.
To those who have been paying these unconstitutional taxes, Chriss Street, with New California State at newcaliforniastate.com, has come up with four questions to ask your city council or board of supervisors:
Are you considering terminating impact fees after the U.S. Supreme Court decision calling them an unconstitutional tax?
How much in impact fees have you charged over the past 10 years?
If you are not going to terminate impact fees, how do you plan to justify them as fees rather than taxes?
Have you set up a process to handle refunds to residents who were inappropriately assessed impact fees in the past?
Many members of city councils and boards of supervisors throughout California probably fit in to one of the categories in the first paragraph above. Maybe the thought of getting some of your own money returned to you might encourage you to put a bit more enthusiasm into looking in to this very carefully.
Sure could help put you in a much better light for the upcoming elections. Just sayin’!
Diane Zimmerman
Santa Clarita