Portage merges two boards

Many of the articles here on this site favor picking on government for expansion, new taxes, or unfettered growth. A quick note today in favor of the City of Portage for actually reducing the size of government, creating some efficiencies, and putting the fees paid for services front and center for residents to understand.

In Portage there will be one Utility Service Board, which will collect the new stormwater fees and well as others. Stormwater management and water reclamation boards will be merged together into this new entity with a new five member board.

When Portage moved to implement the stormwater management fee earlier this year, there were some suggesting that yet another tax hike meant bigger government. But, the truth is that with tax cap cuts mandated by state law ... Portage will be forced to spend less in 2010. The only way to create new money is to create user fees, fees which are much easier for residents to understand, and to vote against if they think they are being abused. Mayor Valasquez and her staff are proving in real time that Governor Daniels' plan is working.