License to Flush the Toilet

[Bozz10mm]

Every two years, Williamson County sends me a license renewal form to fill out and return with my $60.00 license renewal fee. The license allows me to operate my OSSF, on-site septic facility, for the next two years.

The license fee is in addition to the $250 or so a year I an required by law to pay for an annual maintenance contract, or face $thousands in fines. And, they don't even include a return envelope, so I have to dig through all the drawers and closets in the house to find an envelope, then hand address it.

I don't know, it just rankles me. It feels like a fee to cover the cost of collecting the fee. So, I guess they have just about everything covered now when it comes to taxes and fees. Of course, if you are on city water, they get you by imposing the waste water fee on your water bill. Who woulda thunk it? Pay toilets in your home.

 

[Dawico]

There is no such thing as a free lunch, or getting rid of it.

Taxes, fees, and penalties on everything. It gets old.

 

[Acera]

Life is a paid for experience..................

 

[rsayloriii]

Waste water fee is a given because it does cost money to treat the waste water. However, if you've got a septic system, then, IMO, there shouldn't be any fees beyond the initial inspection to make sure it was installed correctly. Don't agree with minimum fees either. Charge me for what I use. And as far as waste water, charge me for what I use (I know that's harder to measure) because not all that goes in goes out as waste water (and yes waste water fees are based upon a set percentage of incoming fresh water).

 

[vmax]

In Abilene they tax you for rainwater run off depending on your roof size...

 

[Younggun]

Some of y'all live in the wrong counties.


Roof runoff??? That's crazy. Even more though than ongoing septic fees.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

And wilco is supposedly a "conservative" county......

Don't even want to go into the legal circus they are putting me through ATM.


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[mantawolf]

Wouldn't that be paying for water twice? Once for your effort to put it into lakes then again for them to take it out and give it back to you?

C r a z y

 

[AcidFlashGordon]

In Abilene they tax you for rainwater run off depending on your roof size...

Do they also hose you with taxes if you collect the rainwater? I've seen THAT bullshit in other states and in one, the guy was fined and arrested for collecting the rainwater run-off from his own roof. I'm going to have to dig around because I bookmarked that story....

 

[Mike1234567]

It's better to have your water well and rainwater catch systems installed "quietly" and well disguised. One of these days we'll be taxed for the wind and/or sunlight we "use up" to produce electricity.

 

[Thegomezclan]

m.youtube.com/watch?v=MbQiVQuiu04

 

[Sapper740]

It's better to have your water well and rainwater catch systems installed "quietly" and well disguised. One of these days we'll be taxed for the wind and/or sunlight we "use up" to produce electricity.

^Yup^

 

[Glockster69]

m.youtube.com/watch?v=MbQiVQuiu04

You gotta drop the M and add the Ws

 

[Thegomezclan]

Thanks Glockster.

 

[benenglish]

You gotta drop the M and add the Ws

Agreed. It's easy to embed video here.

BTW - That song was written when they were subjected by the British government to a 95% tax rate. I'm more tolerant of taxes than most of us here but I certainly agree with Harrison's mindset at the time he wrote the song. Getting hit with a 95% income tax rate would make me pretty dadgum mad, too.

 

[Waterguy]

What type of license are you paying the 60$ for?
The 250$ maintenance is a state law. For two years the 250 is about average for Tx.
Is there another co. that does the water sampling of ossf? They are the only ones required to have the license. You as a home owner are only required to keep the maintenance contract up to date.

 

[Bozz10mm]

What type of license are you paying the 60$ for?
The 250$ maintenance is a state law. For two years the 250 is about average for Tx.
Is there another co. that does the water sampling of ossf? They are the only ones required to have the license. You as a home owner are only required to keep the maintenance contract up to date.

Yeah, in addition to keeping the maintenance contract up to date, the county requires that I have a license to operate the system. The $250 is for a one year contract with a licensed septic inspection company. They call it a maintenance contract, but is actually for a semi-annual inspection that, I believe, is required by Wilco. Any actual repairs, or additional service trips are not covered under the contract. My system, and all the surrounding neighborhood systems are Aerobic Treatment Units, with air pumps, effluent pumps, alarms, lights, etc. They are also supposed to have a dedicated phone line with an auto dialer to alert the maintenance company if the system alarms out. I doubt many are actually hooked up tho.

 

[shortround]

That is county corruption at its worst. Crony Capitalism at the local level. Complain in the most strident manner possible to your County Commissioner's Court, and your State representative and senator. Call or write the Attorney General of Texas.

Several years ago, I had an issue with a home insurance claim that was rejected because the insurance company said they did not have to pay based on the County in which I filed the claim.

It took a few months, but the Attorney General's office made the insurance company settle the claim to my satisfaction.

Bad laws/regulations can only be undone if we raise hell. I'm sure there are others in your county with the same problem. Find out who they are, and start a movement!

 

[Mike1234567]

The disease is spreading beyond Austin.....

 

[breakingcontact]

And wilco is supposedly a "conservative" county......

Don't even want to go into the legal circus they are putting me through ATM.


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It is conservative. It isn't libertarian. I keep telling y'all...