Stillwater tries to tax residents -- while giving a country club a break

Stillwater’s Moore Street was in need of love. In 2015, the city started an improvement project that would fix up aging streets, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and sewer and water lines. It was supposed to be a $2.2 million package.

Since the residents living on the south side of West Moore Street were expected to benefit from the work, they were obligated to pay for some of it. Some neighbors were assessed for about $3,800 – others as much as $7,500. A nearby nursing home was on the hook too, and the First Methodist Church was hit for nearly $19,000, according to the Pioneer Press. Everybody had to chip in.

With one notable exception: the scenic and storied Stillwater Country Club, which requires a $100 application fee just to get on the waiting list. Back in 2017, Stillwater Director of Public Works Shawn Sanders told the Press that the club wouldn’t be assessed because it would receive “no benefit” from the roadwork.

You may be wondering: How does a nursing home or a church benefit from a road in ways a country club doesn’t? What about club members, employees, or the various service trucks that regularly trundle down it?

Read more: http://www.citypages.com/news/stillwater-tries-to-tax-residents-while-giving-a-country-club-a-break/508276401