The front page of a recent GazetteLeader had coverage giving an advance look at what may be coming down the road for the Fairfax County Park Authority.
A consultant (uh-oh ...) says the agency needs to start looking at being more “equitable” (double uh-oh ...) in how it imposes fees for programs and services.
The Park Authority actually is exceptional in its fiscal management – it recoups far more of its operating costs in user fees from the public than do most localities. But where most of us would see a government agency behaving responsibly, others see a problem in need of fixing.
We have no major quibble if Fairfax officials want to find modest ways to ensure that the fee structure enables those at the lower end of the economic spectrum to have access. But a wholesale shift of the cost burden from participants to taxpayers? That is a bridge too far.
If you move forward, Fairfax officials, try to use a scalpel rather than a sledgehammer to effect change.
