Subject: Re: Impact Fees: Larry, let me get this straight, some communities in Atlantic County and probably elsewhere charge a fee for each new house of $5,000 and it goes to support the existing parks and playgrounds and sports programs in that community that home owners have paid and worked to build and here in Mullica we charge new home-owners only $75. Could it be that Real Estate interests headed by Janet Forman who is a member of Council are keeping this number so low? Wondering in Mullica

RESPONSE: Clearly this is a fee or surcharge that needs to be raised. During all of 2004 Mullica collected only $2,325 in impact fees for new homes and that went directly to the Mullica Rec. Association. The office that collects this fee reports not a single bit of complaint from builders when collecting this fee for new home construction.

Raising the fee to the level of Galloway and Hamilton Townships might embroil Mullica in the builders' litigation about the legality of this fee. Raising the fee say to $1000 seems a good and safe number. The problem is that Mullica has elected year after year Republicans who are more comfortable raising property taxes than putting fees and surcharges on users...as pointed out here the annual liquor license charge in Mullica remains at $250 even thought the State audit years ago recommended that the annual liquor license fee be raised to $2,000. THE IDIOTS R US prefer that your property taxes increase, but then this is the very essence of the Republi CON. People are too stupid to realize that it is irresponsible Republicans that are to blame.