The controversial decision to slash development fees in Essex is putting taxpayer money directly in the pockets of developers, according to the town's mayor.
Essex Town Council voted 4-3 in favour of cutting single-home residential fees in half for the next 18 months. "We have one outfit that is a home builder in our municipality that left $180,000 richer because what we, the council, decided to do," says Essex Mayor Ron McDermott. "That's a shame. Those are taxpayers' dollars that we now must find."
McDermott says he was confused by two councillors who voted in favour of cutting development fees. "The previous council went through all of this less than a year ago and we have four members of the present council that sat on that and voted 100% last year to go with these fees," he says. "And now two of those four voted to change it. Why? I don't know."
McDermott says he doesn't believe lowering development fees is an incentive that will attract more residential homes. "If I could just drive it in council members' heads, if they would just listen to administration and the mayor, we're here looking after the taxpayer," says McDermott. "That's what we're supposed to be doing. Did we do that? Absolutely not. All we did was fill a few people's pockets with money."
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