The Chamber has continued to convey its dismay at how the new drainage district fees scheduled to be levied on businesses in early 2016 could wreck havoc with the local economy throughout the fall. One of leadership’s concerns is that businesses appear unaware of the impact of this measure and how much it will cost them individually. The implementation of an annual fee of $36 for every 2,500 square feet of impervious surface coupled with an impact fee of $500 for every 2,500 square feet of expansion is viewed as a job killing measure by the Chamber even though there is a need to address the Valley’s drainage inadequacies.
In a meeting with the Board of the Grand Valley Drainage District on October 22nd Chamber Chairman Jeff Franklin suggested and the board agreed that a roundtable with District officials and affected businesses was needed.
All businesses which are located within the Grand Valley Drainage District boundaries (click on http://thedrainagedistrict.org to view their map) are encouraged to attend this meeting to:
- Learn what the problems are that precipitated this move to fees
- How the fees will be implemented and spent
- Discuss with District officials what may be alternatives that are less draconian on job creators in the Grand Valley
There is no cost to attend but in order to get an accurate count for lunch members are asked to sign online at www.gjchamber.org or by calling 970-242-3214. The lunch is complements of the Bank of Colorado and the Chamber.
Click here to download full version of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce November 2015 Newsletter.