On recent postings, Big Mac and Diane Peevy talk about Impact Fees.  The Big Canoe POA and the Big Canoe homeowners should not be concerned about or even think about paying Impact Fees.  An Impact Fee is a fee implemented by a local government (Big Canoe POA) on a new or proposed development to assist or pay for a portion of the costs that the new development may cause with services to the new development.  If Big Canoe Co. develops a new area they should not only pay their hard development costs, they should pay an Impact Fee to Big Canoe POA for the new developments ‘Impact’ on the community. 

I’m not trying to close the door on development but if new development causes additional costs to  the community, the developer should pay his way.  We just completed major improvements to our roads and I’m sure that additional work is needed.  There isn’t a day that goes by that our roads aren’t filled with construction trucks.  How many times has the covered bridge been damaged by these trucks?  How about a fee for every construction truck that enters the gate!  I know these costs will be passed on to the eventual buyer of a home but hidden taxes are a way of life for all of us.  Impact fees have been around since the ’50s and been held up in court case after court case. 

I posted yesterday on what I consider to be the proper use of Replacement Reserves.  As homeowners we should pay our way, either as operating expenses or replacement reserves.  There are other ways to raise needed funds and I don’t feel that an entrance fee, or as some have more accurately called it, an exit fee.