Ms. Liz Palmer, [email protected]

Subject: Stormwater Management Utility Fee

We have thirty acres of wooded land which we purposely maintain to protect Green Creek, which borders three sides of our property. We also have a quarter mile long “permeable” gravel driveway which is maintained by adding gravel and grading as necessary. As a retired executive of a major national construction company, I can assure you gravel roads are permeable as opposed to asphalt, concrete, or tar and gravel , which are impermeable pavement.

We are opposed to a Stormwater Management Tax, feeling it is unfair to the rural landowners who have very little unmanaged stormwater and impermeable land. Woods and farms have to have water, and by their very nature manage the rainwater and snow run off. Something which doesn’t need and won’t be enhanced by a rural stormwater management plan.

The idea of fees for churches, volunteer rescue squads and fire departments is just inconceivable since they all operate on public contributions, which are already sparse. In no jurisdiction in Virginia does the state or federal government pay any local taxes. You can bet they won’t pay them now, even if Albemarle County levees them. VDOT has more impermeable pavement than any entity in the county. You rely on them to build and maintain the impermeable roads and a find job they do. They are not going to pay a wastewater tax, so why should fire, rescue and churches be singled out and taxed out of existence for what little exposure they do have?

“If” additional wastewater funding is needed, it should come from the existing general fund taxes and be controlled by the Board of Supervisors as any other budget function.

Speaking of such, all of the apartment and condominium projects just inside of the county line create real stormwater management issues, both in creation and in particular, maintenance, Their property tax should also include a rate commensurate with the real exposure they create.

We understand rural county property owners are in the minority in numbers, but we contribute a great deal of what constitutes Albemarle County. We hope you or any exclusive representative of rural property owners will hear and act in all of our collective best interests.

We will be glad to discuss and provide additional facts to support the foregoing with you personally, or any elected county official involved in this tax.

Regards, John and Deidre Dickens