Westside businesses say impact fees too high

SOME SMALL BUSINESSES TRYING TO MAKE IT ON ALBUQUERQUE'S WESTSIDE SAY THE CITY IS BASICALLY ...  More »

SOME SMALL BUSINESSES TRYING TO MAKE IT ON ALBUQUERQUE'S WESTSIDE SAY THE CITY IS BASICALLY TAXING THEM TO DEATH. IN SOME CASES, THEY'RE PAYING TEN TIMES MORE THAN SHOPS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER -- BECAUSE OF IMPACT FEES. JEFF MAHER IS LIVE NEAR COORS AND FORTUNA WITH WHAT'S GOING ON, JEFF? JOHN BATTAGLIA HAS BEEN OPERATING THIS CAR WASH FOR THIRTY- THREE YEARS. WHEN HE EXPANDED HIS BUSINESS ADDING ON A STORAGE FACILITY - - HE WAS HIT WITH IMPACT FEES SO HIGH, HE HAD TO GO TO EXTREME MEASURES TO KEEP HIS DOORS OPEN. 'they hold you prisoner there, you don't get your permit unless you pay for it - so we paid for it' JOHN BATTAGLIA, OWNER OF NORTH COORS STORAGE SAYS HIS WIFE HAD TO PICK UP A PART- TIME JOB AS A NURSE TO HELP PAY FOR A 37-THOUSAND-500- DOLLAR IMPACT FEE - - SOMETHING HE WAS HIT WITH BY SURPRISE. HE ALSO HAD TO RAISE HIS RATES BY TEN-DOLLARS TO KEEP THE BUSINESS ALIVE. 'on any business, if you put too much load on them, they're going to have to raise their prices, it's a silent tax on the customer' CITY COUNCILOR KEN SANCHEZ IS PROPOSING FOR AN INDEPENDENT STUDY TO BE DONE ON ALBUQUERQUE'S IMPACT FEES. HE SAYS THEY'RE UNFAIR TO THE WESTSIDE - WHICH SEES HIGHER FEES BECAUSE OF INCREASED GROWTH. THEY'VE BEEN IN PLACE FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS - - IN THE CASE OF BUSINESS OWNERS - THEY HAVE TO PAY THEM ANYTIME THEY BUILD OR EXPAND - THE FEES ARE USED TO PAY FOR ROADS AND SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS. ACCORDING TO THE CITY'S WEBSITE - A BUSINESS BUILDING ON THE EAST SIDE WOULD HAVE TO SHELL OUT AN EXTRA 9-THOUSAND DOLLARS.. BUT CROSS THE RIVER--- A WESTSIDE BUSINESS OF THE SAME SIZE WOULD HAVE TO COUGH UP MORE THAN 84- THOUSAND DOLLARS. 'I thought there was a pretty big difference there and it didn't seem very fair' CARL ULIBARRI WANTS TO EXPAND HIS MOBILE HOME SUPPLY BUSINESS ON WEST CENTRAL - - BUT CAN'T BECAUSE OF THE FEES. 'I would like to see them eliminate those impact fees or at least reduce them to the point where they're the same for everybody across the city, that would be what we would need' BATTAGLIA SAYS HE'S DETERMINED TO GET HIS 37- THOUSAND DOLLARS BACK - EVEN IF IT MEANS GOING TO COURT. THE ISSUE WILL BE BROUGHT TO THE CITY COUNCIL WHEN THEY MEET AGAIN ON MONDAY. LIVE IN NORTHWEST ALBUQUERQUE. JEFF MAHER. EYEWITNESS NEWS FOUR.  « Less