If and when these impact fees are implemented, how can they charge as much for a mobile home as they do a single family home? (I think the figure they came up with was somewhere around $8,000 - $9,000) Low income families who purchase mobile homes do so because they can't afford a high dollar home. I just don't understand how they can charge the same for a mobile home (which could cost around $20,000, maybe more or less)) as they would a $200,000+ home. Wouldn't $1500 or $2000 seem more reasonable for mobile homes? For anyone buying an expensive home, I don't think $8000 added to the price is going to make that much of a difference. But to pay an extra $8000 for a mobile home????? Some folk who grew up around here are finding it difficult to stay here and start famillies of their own because they can't afford it.

It seems all they want to do around here is build subdivisions on every piece of empty land that's left, but yet they build no places to shop or eat. Almost everything you need you have to go out of town to get it. We can't get money for schools because everytime they have a bond vote, lifelong residents turn it down because they feel they shouldn't have to pay for the growth that is occuring.

I think I'm ready to move west. I wonder if there's any room in Hampshire County?????

I guess they don't want any mobile homes in Jefferson County! They should definatly have lower fees for mobile homes, because, as you said, the people buying these homes are ones that can't afford regular homes.

Theres plenty of room in Hampshire Co. Ya just have to carve it out of the mountains Thats all you see in Romney. People dig out a flat spot for the house.
What I want to know is if these fees are really going to be enough to take care of all the problems all these houses and people are going to cause?How long is 8,000$ going to take care of the torn up roads that is caused by the heavy equipment and also the wear and tear of normal use by the cars?What about fire and police protection?And schools and teachers?Doctors and nurses?I think the WHOLE panhandle should put a hold on building for a time and really think about all these factors.But I'd probably have a better chance of going to the space station than that happening!

OK...from everything I've read, it's the school board
in Jefferson County that is really pushing for these
impact fees...why? To cover the cost of educating
the kids that live there....well, we're contemplating
a move from Berkeley to Jefferson....we don't have
any kids, and never will...why should I have to pay
this fee ? I'm all for paying for fire service and road
improvements, but to lump this altogether into one
huge sum isn't fair to those folks that have no interest
in what the school board wants. The county will be
getting our property taxes...isn't that what they were
designed for? To cover the expenses of running a
county? Some folks complain about the JeffCo zoning
laws...well, at least they have some...BerkCo is truly
out of control....

I agree that there is too much building going on. Subdivisions everywhere they could possible squeeze in. Crazy. I don't even see the lure of a subvision. I thought people moved to West Virginia because they didn't want neighbors.

I guess since you used the system as a kid (assuming you attended public school) the gov't figures you should pay them back.

Berkeley is in desperate need of enforced zoning laws! I hate to see this place in 10yrs look like Fairfax or Loudon Counties.

WV U!! BITE YOUR TONGUE!!!!!!!!!DON'T PUT THE HEX ON US!!!!!!!!!!!!

Exactly. Now I don't mean to sound like I don't welcome new people moving to this area, but as long as people keep moving here from the city, its going to become just like what they are moving here to get away from in the first place. Can't we just say enough is enough? Or maybe put up a CLOSED sign at the state border?

And WVU, we have zoning laws here in Jefferson County, but look where it's taking us.

Martinsburg/Berkeley County has them too, but they're not enforced. I think we should limit population growth, that way we still have some farms! Maybe we should also enforce the way some subdivisions look as well. Not to mean any harm to anybody that lives there, but that subdivision on Route 9 near Hedgesville High School looks horrbile! It looks like they just tore out all the tress, and ploped houses/townhouses all over the place.

I knew someone would mention that !!!

Fact is, I did go to a private school...through 8th grade,
in CALIFORNIA !!!

I then completed high school....in VIRGINIA !!!

So I owe the state of WV....NOTHING !!!

I said that I would gladly pay for added police, fire, roads, etc....
but I shouldn't have to pay into the school system if it's something
that I've never used and never will.

How many times have the voters in JeffCo rejected the building
of a new high school ?? I've read quotes from people who are
afraid that a new school would divide the county ?!?! How archaic
is that ?? And these impact fees won't even completely fund any
new school they decide to build...they want to have voters decide
on a $19M bond....I wonder if and when that will pass ??

Folks around here don't want their taxes raised, yet they want
services improved....they want better teachers and more policemen,
but won't pay for them. They want more and better roads, but complain
about the price of gasoline.

I'm so excited about moving to JeffCo....I'll get curbside recycling !!!

I've heard the same thing. But how many more kids can you cram into one high school that was only built for 1,000??????? From what I understand, there are about 1,600 in grades 10 - 12 alone, and there are about 600 at the 9th grade building. So if they would build another high school, there would be about 1100 at each school (grades 9 - 12). It's time for a second high school. Maybe the officials here can take some lessons from Berkeley County on how to get school built.

About whether the $19 million bond will pass: from what I've heard, people aren't going to vote for it unless impact fees are in place. And you're right, impact fees aren't going to build another school. Sounds like a case of too little, too late.

I think that every resident of WV should be required to pay at least something toward schools regardless of where you went to school when you were young and regardless if you have kids or not. I feel it's your responsibility as a resident to contribute to the educated upbringing of your community's children who will, one day, be part of your community and possibly even run the government and maybe even end up taking care of you when you're too old to take care of yourself. I don't have any kids but I still feel some sense of responsibility to the children of my community. I'm not suggesting a huge chunk of money out of your pockets into the schools.

Well you know before Jefferson High was built there seperate high schools for Shepherdstown, Charles Town, and I think, but not sure Harpers Ferry. So I don't see how it will divide the county.

Last time I checked, I pay both WV state income taxes as
well as local real estate and personal property taxes....out of
that money is where my contribution to the education of
the students in WV should go, not from unfair, across the
board levies against new homeowners who won't directly
benefit from the building of a new high school.

I read in todays artical that "the affluent don't want to pay their share".
DUH! Thats how they stay affluent.And it also doesn't surprise me. What I don't understand is why people don't want to help the schools that THEIR children are over burdening?!But I do think that a scale based on the amount of the house being built should be the way instead of an across the board one amount.It's not fair to the struggling families whose first home would be put out of reach because of this fee.

I read a letter to the editor in a paper a few days regarding impact fees. This persons opinion was to charge based on the square footage of the home. Even that sounds more reasonable to me than one flat rate.

You know what I always wonder? Why they need to raise fees at all--if you have more houses being built, that equals more tax revenue--therefore they should have the money to build the new school(s).
It always seems to me that someone is playing with the numbers...because it never adds up...