Rants & Raves: Fees and Heritage parking
On the possibility of a public safety fee in Beaufort to cover a budget shortfall:
The problem with such fees is that they never replace taxes, they are just added on to taxes, so down the road you have the same (or higher) taxes, plus all these new fees. Maybe we shouldn't be spending $3 million-plus on a park nobody will use if we are facing a $700,000 deficit. Chris Wilson
When my income falls short I have to cut expenses. I don't have the luxury of demanding more money. Linda Coe
Isn't this unfair to the property owners that pay their taxes each year? Maybe more effort could be put into collecting the existing taxes from unpaid parties instead of adding a "fee" that would still go unpaid by those that fail to pay their taxes. Robert Cogdill
There are families who are struggling as is. This fee could backfire and cause some people to walk away from their properties. It may also cause people to not pay it at all due to a lack of funds. I suggest citing some of the businesses, construction sites and properties who are in clear violation of ordinances. There are several places that need to have trash cleaned up and removed. Jamie Melton
Fact: You can't get something for nothing. Fact: Costs go up, every year. Fact: If we want nice things, we have to pay for them. Fact: If you don't invest in upkeep, you pay more in the long run. Fact: Our taxes have increased little in the past decade. The city manager says departments have cut and cut and cut. ... Our government is responsible; they have cut costs. Now, when are we going to step up and make the investments necessary to make sure our town remains the gem we all want it to be? Bruce Doneff
By adding a safety fee, does that mean Beaufort will in fact work on making the area safe? We live downtown and feel anything but safe with the constant shootings. Derek Clement
On parking at the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing:
Let's see. I spent four hours at the Heritage watching the tournament. And I spent four hours waiting in lines going to and coming back from parking. Absolutely horrible! I, along with many others I've talked to, will not attend again if it's left the same way. Travis Sizemore
Perhaps a few separate shuttles could drop off at Reilley's Plaza, Coligny, etc., after play next year? We had dinner at the plaza Saturday evening and there were a lot of customers, but mostly media and other officials that probably were able to park in Sea Pines areas. Jan Lichterman
Can't believe our own town does not have the locals' best interest in mind! The parking was a mess and hurt local business and Heritage ticket sales. Kelli Kulbacki
I'm curious as to where it was successful and for whom? The island was a ghost town! I lost money as a server due to this, not to mention the two restaurants I work for. We were overstaffed. I made winter money in APRIL!! Jamie Ackley Mervin
If you are going to shuttle people to the north end, you need to incorporate stops along the way. I am sure local businesses would sponsor different times that could help the flows of their restaurants. Jeremiah Blurgman
Did it fix traffic? Yes, completely. Did it ruin all the nightlife and possibly bankrupt several restaurants and food and beverage folks that don't actually work in Harbour Town itself? Yes, completely. David Starry
This story was originally published April 26, 2015 at 7:43 PM with the headline "Rants & Raves: Fees and Heritage parking."