A U.S. Supreme Court decision concerning development impact fees apparently has Shasta County Supervisor Kevin Crye feeling vindicated about a decision the board made in January. The board voted 3 to 2 to suspend all such fees. Crye argued that the fees are based on an outdated study that overestimated a projection of population growth. Since 2008 the fees had provided $8.7 Million in funding for public safety projects which otherwise would be paid for by the General Fund. Supervisors Mary Rickert and Tim Garmin urged the board to do more research before eliminating the funding source, but they were voted down by the majority. The Supreme Court case stems from a suit originating in El Dorado County. Tuesday’s scheduled Board of Supervisors meeting was canceled last week due to a lack of agenda items.
-Steve Gibson