'Rain tax' coming due?

Talk of a new arena wasn't the only thing discussed at last weeks community forum. The countys stormwater utility fee also drew comments.

One surprise came from that discussion: Columbia Countys school system has finally paid part of what it owes for fees assessed on schools in the stormwater utility district.

The $48,000 paid by the school system doesnt include any late fees. And theres still an ongoing debate about whether its legal to subtract education credits for conservation classes.

The school system wasnt the only one owing fees; some homeowners also have refused to pay. But an ongoing federal lawsuit against the fee has prevented the county from taking non-payers to magistrates court.

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County officials expect the suit to be resolved soon. When that happens, either the county will have a mess on its hands if the fee is invalidated or an awful lot of people will, like the school system, have to pay what they owe.