Apr 2, 2016 4 min read

Recently, the Greene County Board of Commissioners adopted a $5 fee on registration of vehicles in the county to help with the repair and maintenance of bridges. All well and good, as this is their job to repair these bridges.

However, there are several questions that should be answered to receive public acceptance of this fee/tax:

1. What bridges are needing repairs and what caused the damage? Is it just that they are old, or is it because they are being used by out-of-state heavy tanker trucks and other gas well equipment?

2. Why do the vehicle owners of Greene County have to pay when the bridges are used by many non-Greene County-registered vehicles? For example, UPS trucks, propane delivery vehicles, delivery trucks and even the United States Postal Service. Why don’t they have to pay a fee?

3. What did the county spend on maintaining Murtha Drive? What happened to this money now that Franklin Township has taken over the costs of this road?

4. Does this fee apply to “tax-free” vehicles such as snow plows, municipal trucks and county cars?

5. Citizens in Greene County do not have options such as mass transportation and shopping districts. To get any where or to buy anything, a resident must use a vehicle. Adding additional fees or taxes to a necessity is harsh and like adding a tax on life-saving medication. How do the commissioners address this?

6. What is the $1.1 million collected in liquid fuel taxes being used for by the county? Seems like a nice sum to fix bridges, since the county owns no roads. What do they do with this money?

I think if the commissioners address all of these questions, there would not be over 100 negative comments on social media denouncing this fee/tax.

I agree with one of the presidential contenders. It is the responsibility of government to reduce spending, not increase taxes or fees. Are there not areas of county government that can be made more cost-effective? Maybe there should be an audit of what departments are costing and what benefits they provide. Examples would include the information technology department. I know they run on a shoestring and the county has one of the best computer systems. This is a well-run department. On the other hand, we have an economic development department. What can we say this department has done to increase well-paying job opportunities within the county? Or housing for middle-class people trying to make a living? Not low-income or senior housing, but regular, blue-collar workers with families.

I am mad and not going to take it much longer. Government at all levels must reduce waste, cut unnecessary programs, foster communication with the taxpayers and cut taxes and fees. The $5 cost is not the issue. It is that government just raises fees and taxes without doing anything on the expense side. Just because they have the right to collect a fee does not make it right. When Commissioner Charles Morris was asked to put an additional fee on the recording of deeds, he refused and fought it.

As he said, the average man pays enough for government without adding more unnecessary fees.

I suggest the commissioners go back to the drawing board on this one and rescind their decision. One of the presidential candidates has made it possible for Americans to take back their country from the tyranny of government. It is not only our right, it is our duty to question government leaders.

H. John Frazier is a Mt. Morris resident.