SOCIALISM COMES TO PIMA COUNTY!!!

Not really but I imagine that's what the local radio wingnuts like Emil Franzi and Charles Heller will say this weekend. Here's the story from the local paper:

Some restaurants could see large increases in impact fees under new plan
By Erica Meltzer
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson, Arizona Published: 03.21.2006

Impact fees on some businesses in Pima County could triple under a plan before the Pima County Board of Supervisors.

The increases would go toward transportation, but business owners said they hit too hard.
Restaurants will see the largest increases. New fast food joints with drive-throughs will have to pay $16,109, up from $5,431, while sit-down establishments will have to pay $7,986, up from $5,155.

“The businesses most affected already operate at a low margin and rely on high volume,” said Kathleen Skinner, manager of governmental affairs for the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said the changes more accurately reflect the road use generated by businesses. “This is not imaginary,” he said. “This is based on real costs that we’re incurring.”



The local transportation problem results from urban sprawl and a marginal economy. We already have streets and roads we can't adequately maintain, this despite the pro-growth crowd telling us for years that "growth pays for itself." In the future, congestion will only get worse, even if the proposed 1/2 cent increase in the sales tax is approved by the voters.