Dear Action Line: Yes, we all enjoy the greenery in and around Durango, and especially how all the plants have surged with summer rains. But too much of a good thing, even a green thing, is, well, too much. As you can see (photo attached), I have a dimensional disagreement with the foliage on a local path. If it was just this spot I could practice ducking, but every other tree is offering a hug. I am not sure who is responsible, and the distinction between standard sidewalks and designated city paths. But I sure hope we might get some trim work done before the plant kingdom takes over. – Bob Krantz
Dear Bob: It is rather lush around here, and no one seems to be complaining very loudly. At least not directly. There are more and deeper grasses and weeds, more annoying little flying things, and yes, a few more branches reaching out to touch somebody, kind of like AT&T used to suggest in the old days. (Google it – long time ago.)
Also, we have to assume that Bob isn’t 8 feet tall. How do we know he isn’t?
This question and photo got Action Line to thinking about all the apples, apricots and oranges he’s snagged from branches hanging over a fence or public sidewalk. Everyone takes advantage of low-hanging fruit, right? City of Durango arborist Matt Besecker seems to have exonerated a still-guilt-ridden Action Line.
“As for fruit trees, if you have a private tree that is dangling over your property line, and a resident walks by, the fruit is pretty much fair game,” Besecker said. “They can take fruit from your tree if it is within reach and they are not trespassing on your property. If you don’t want residents to take any of your apples, you have the right to pick them before anyone else can get to them.”
So, whom to yell at when you smack your head on a tree hanging over a sidewalk?
“Well, actually it is your responsibility to keep your tree trimmed … and away from sidewalks,” Besecker said. “If I am out and see a branch that is not (the city’s), but it is encroaching over a sidewalk, I have the authority to trim it for pedestrians to make it safe. And I have done that countless times if I am in the area pruning on a city tree.”
The city’s forestry division, part of the Parks and Recreation Department, is responsible for right-of-way trees, Besecker said. But as city arborist, Besecker has the tools and the authority to prune a private tree if it is over a city sidewalk, particularly one that is blocking pedestrians or poking their eyes out.
Dear Action Line: Do you know we pay a $4 “clerk hire fee” with every transaction at the Division of Motor Vehicles? Between my family and business I’ve renewed registration on eight vehicles this year and paid $4 each time. It doesn’t matter if you do more than one at a time, it’s a charge per vehicle. How many registrations does the county clerk do per year? How much does it cost to hire a clerk? – Up to My Knees in Fees
Dear Knees: We also pay a ridiculous 17 cents every year for our little tabs with the last two digits of the year. You know, those tabs we stick on top of the old ones on the license plate even though we’re not supposed to. But Action Line won’t go into THAT again.
Actually, 17 cents seems like a bargain. The Clerk Hire Fee though – what the heck is that?
Indeed, this $4 fee is charged annually on each vehicle, said Tiffany Lee, La Plata County’s clerk and recorder. It has been charged since 1994, and went from $2 to the current $4 in 2007. What’s changed is that you, the registerer of vehicles, just never noticed because it was not readily spelled out for you.
Starting in 2018, vehicle owners were provided an itemized receipt with all the various fees paid during vehicle registration. One of those is the “Clerk Hire Fee,” which is really a bit of a misnomer. It’s basically money given to counties, who are working as agents for the state in the transaction process.
Explained Lee: “I currently have 12 full-time motor vehicle employees that operate the Durango and Bayfield branch. County clerks are agents for the Colorado Department of Revenue to manage vehicle registration and titling. The $4 fee is how we pay for our employees, which in wages is approximately $520,000.”
And that doesn’t include benefits, overtime or the county clerk’s salary.
In 2021, Lee said, the county had 82,259 transactions in which it collected the $4 fee. That’s only $329,036, and as Lee pointed out, “isn’t even close to how much it costs us to staff our office. The county general fund covers the rest.”
Don’t expect the fee to go away or even go down. Lee said Colorado legislators are looking at possibly increasing the fee since it’s been the same for many years, “and the majority of the counties are like ours where it doesn’t cover our costs anymore.”
Action Line suggests that if you want an explanation for all the fees, Google “Colorado motor vehicle fees fact sheet” or something similar and you should be able to link to a page that breaks down the fees.
Email questions and suggestions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. Are people going to start wondering why there’s no Action Line Hire Fee?
