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Dolores trustees begin overhaul of fee schedule to reduce taxpayer subsidy
Summary
Trustees opened a workshop July 27 to consider raising user fees and creating a formal policy to prevent taxpayers from subsidizing events and permits; staff will package recommendations for a vote at the next meeting.
Trustees and town staff on July 27 began an in-depth review of the town’s fee schedule, aiming to reduce what staff described as implicit taxpayer subsidies for events, permits and other user services. Staff presented comparative tables showing neighboring towns’ recovery rates and emphasized the town’s long gap without a comprehensive fee review.
"Should we actually charge the people that are using them a user's fee so we can break even on this stuff?" Chair (speaker 3) asked, framing the central question for trustees. Several trustees said they favored moving toward recovering a higher share of administrative costs, combined with a policy that would allow annual index-based adjustments.
Staff cautioned that some fees—water and sewer enterprise charges—are separate and already billed differently, but recommended that most non-enterprise fees be reviewed annually against a chosen inflation measure. Trustees broadly supported developing a formal policy and asked staff to return with a tidy packet and a recommended index for annual adjustments prior to formal adoption.
