WHEN IS THE GOVERNMENT JUST PLAIN FUCKING YOU ?

By Bob Walsh

 

George Sheetz

George Sheetz bought a lot in El Dorado County, CA  eight years ago.  He planned on putting a house on the property.  The county wanted him to pay $23,000 to get a permit to build a road to his house site.  They called it a traffic mitigation fee.  He called bullshit, and sued.  It went all the way to the Supreme Court.  

SCOTUS has just ruled that such fees must be reasonable and based on actual adverse impacts and not merely an attempt by the county to effectively deny him the use of his property.  They ordered the case returned to a lower court for further adjudication.  Sheetz had already paid the fee, and promptly sued the county.  

The lower court will then consider if the fee is proportional to whatever damage may be done by a 1,800 square foot manufactured home in the boonies.