California’s disputed fire prevention fee may be even more difficult for rural residents to swallow next year.
State
law requires the fee to automatically adjust upward for inflation —
even though about $26 million already collected remains unspent.
The
hike amounts to $2.33, netting the state an additional $1.7 million on
top of the $72 million in current fees expected from mostly rural
residents. That will push the price to $117.33 or $152.33, depending on
the property location.
Opponents say it’s the principle — not the size of the fee increase — that matters.
“This rubs salt in the wound,” said San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, a strident critic of the fee.