Performing Arts Waiving of City Fees

I meant to post this last week, but I forgot. Before I go on, I look forward to the opening of the Performing Arts Center. Recently the City has moved, and I believed it was approved, to waive $190,000 in fees. Now I know that sounds like alot of money (it is) and sounds unfair, but let me review the fees to build a single family home in the City of Worcester.

If you build a three bedroom single family, you incur $4,000 in water and sewer fees. Now you add building permit fees from all the various departments (Electrical, Plumbing, etc), you are looking at another $2,000. In other words a single family house runs approximately $6,000 in fees.

The Performing Arts Center is a $28,000,000 dollar endeavor and can not afford to pay $190,000 in fees. To top it off,it will be a non-profit and will only pay taxes for the first 7, or 8 years, that it is open. On the other hand a builder, who wants to build a single family in District 4 will have to pay approximately $6,000 in fees. Does it seem fair that one develop, who actually will generate taxes forever unless bought by a non-profit, will have to pay fee while someone else does not???

Lets take another example--the Greek Church at Elm Park in District 4. They have a $12,000,000 project in the works should they pay the fees?? Bottom line is that once you start waiving fees, you are starting down a slippery slope where do you stop?? People with the appropriate political influence can get their fees waived and those who do not pay?

I hope if Lynne is elected that she does not give anyone preferential treatment, unless it is of course something that is District wide not on a spot basis.