County raising fees to offset higher costs
El Paso County is increasing its fees slightly next year on activities ranging from trail usage to pest inspection to waste disposal.
Tim Wolken, director of the county’s Public Services Department, said the increases, which will generate approximately $50,000 in additional money, are needed to cover rising utility bills and offset the costs of providing services.
The rental fees for the county’s most popular amenities — soccer fields, tennis courts, the archery range, meeting rooms and pavilions will remain unchanged. “So the overall impact on park users is not much,” said Dave Rose, the county’s public information officer.
Homeowners who seek help from the county dealing with pest infestations, such as the pine beetle, will have to shell out an initial fee of $20 and $50 for each additional hour that a county employee is on the premises.
The county anticipates receiving about 40 calls next year and figures that most consultations won’t last more than an hour. So that fee should generate $800 to $1,200 per year.
The county’s also hiking its tipping fee from 25 cents to 30 cents per cubic yard at the county’s solid waste disposal site. The fee, which will not go into effect until Oct. 1, 2010, is expected to generate roughly $45,000. The proceeds will be used to help fund the county’s recycling programs.
At the El Paso County Fairgrounds in Calhan, rental fees are going up by seven percent across the board for use of the exhibit halls, the livestock arena, kitchen, grandstand building and racetrack.
Wolken said the increase, which amounts roughly to $5 to $10 per facility, is necessary to cover increased utility costs. “It’s been quite a few years since those fees have been raised,” he said.
The county’s also establishing a new $100 fee for individuals and $150 for for-profit organizations which use the county’s trails for fundraisers and other events.
In addition, crews who need access to county property to repair utility lines, repair ditches, or for other purposes, will also have to pay $125 for a “temporary access permit.”
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Call the writer at 476-4825.
