Land Development & Zoning Fees - The Questions Fairfax County Wouldn't Answer
While we are on the subject of taxpayer-subsidized land development and zoning service fees, let's examine the County's failure or refusal to answer some questions from a local citizens group. Someone I know emailed me a copy of the budget questions asked by the McLean Citizens Association last spring and the County's answers to those questions. On the whole, the County did a reasonably good job of answering the questions. But in the area of taxpayer subsidies for the real estate industry, the County just did not answer all of the questions.
The citizens group's sixth question originally read as follows: "Please provide the rationale for setting land development service fees below their cost. Please identify any meetings between the county and any private party or group during which these fees were discussed, including an identification of the date(s) of such meeting, the identity of any county employees and private parties or group(s) attending such meeting(s)."
The County's answer included an amended question: "What is the basis for setting Land Development Fees at 90 percent of cost recovery?" Notice the differences?
Similarly, the McLean group's seventh question initially read: "Please provide the rationale for setting zoning service fees below their cost. Please identify any meetings between the county and any private party or group during which these fees were discussed, including an identification of the date(s) of such meeting, the identity of any county employees and private parties or group(s) attending such meeting(s)."
Again, the County reworded this question as follows: "What is the basis for setting Zoning Fees at 50 percent of cost recovery?" Again, editing occurred.
Why would the County purposefully refuse to answer reasonable questions about who met with county officials to discuss the establishment of below-cost fees? Moreover, the questions were rewritten as if the citizens group had asked quite different questions. Is this standard policy for the county to change the questions that they were asked?
The response was signed by Susan Datta, director of the Department of Management & Budget for Fairfax County. Was this an oversight? Did Ms. Datta direct that the questions be revised and not answered fully? Did someone higher than Ms. Datta make the decision not to answer these questions fully? What are county officials trying to hide? Who did they meet with to discuss where these fees were to be set? What is the county trying to hide? Another sweetheart deal?
The citizens group's sixth question originally read as follows: "Please provide the rationale for setting land development service fees below their cost. Please identify any meetings between the county and any private party or group during which these fees were discussed, including an identification of the date(s) of such meeting, the identity of any county employees and private parties or group(s) attending such meeting(s)."
The County's answer included an amended question: "What is the basis for setting Land Development Fees at 90 percent of cost recovery?" Notice the differences?
Similarly, the McLean group's seventh question initially read: "Please provide the rationale for setting zoning service fees below their cost. Please identify any meetings between the county and any private party or group during which these fees were discussed, including an identification of the date(s) of such meeting, the identity of any county employees and private parties or group(s) attending such meeting(s)."
Again, the County reworded this question as follows: "What is the basis for setting Zoning Fees at 50 percent of cost recovery?" Again, editing occurred.
Why would the County purposefully refuse to answer reasonable questions about who met with county officials to discuss the establishment of below-cost fees? Moreover, the questions were rewritten as if the citizens group had asked quite different questions. Is this standard policy for the county to change the questions that they were asked?
The response was signed by Susan Datta, director of the Department of Management & Budget for Fairfax County. Was this an oversight? Did Ms. Datta direct that the questions be revised and not answered fully? Did someone higher than Ms. Datta make the decision not to answer these questions fully? What are county officials trying to hide? Who did they meet with to discuss where these fees were to be set? What is the county trying to hide? Another sweetheart deal?
posted by Toomanytaxes at 5:15 PM
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