Special Assessment

At tonight's City of Kissimmee Commission meeting there is an item on the agenda that we have heard very little about even though we believe that this ordinance establishes more bad policy. "Item 4A" is an ordinance creating a Special Assessment Chapter in the Code Book that would authorize Special Assessments to fund Capital Improvements or Essential Services by the vote on a simple resolution instead of creating a new special proposed ordinance for each assessment. As written in tonight's agenda, "this ordinance would be the enabling ordinance..." and "This process would streamline this (assessment creating) procedure."

The WayneWho staff is not sure what is more scary, the fact that government believes it should be easier for it to charge fees (taxes), or that there is going to be a big push in the near future on creating new fees (taxes) that makes this new ordinance needed. The idea of removing public debate from the creation on new fees is just bad democracy and should not be supported. The process for creating new fees and/or taxes should be difficult for government to do. This should not be a streamlined process that allows for government to change their prices at whim. The public has a say in what they pay, and in what that money gets spent on. We have noticed a scary trend with local governments working hard to remove the public from processes it believes it should not be questioned on, and this must stop. The public is not an obstacle.

We would hope that others will take time to read this ordinance and question their commissioners on what the heck they are thinking.