A Letter To Some Members

Dear Valued Front-End Road Neighbors (and our wonderful absentee landowners),

I just wanted to take a moment to send you a heartfelt Thank You.

Thank you for being so wonderfully agreeable. While many of the rest of us drive the full length of the road district, you fine folks at the very beginning happily cruise less than a quarter mile before hitting the county road — yet you pay the exact same “special maintenance fee” as everyone else. That’s not just neighborly, that’s practically saintly.

We’re especially grateful that you’ve accepted this flat fee so cheerfully, even though it’s not actually authorized by statute. You could have been difficult and insisted the board use a proper levy or special assessment (you know, the things they’re actually allowed to do). But no — you’ve generously agreed to overpay so the rest of us, with our longer drives and higher maintenance sections, can enjoy subsidized road care. Your sacrifice is noted and appreciated.

And to our absentee landowners who don’t even live here: a special double thanks! You’re out there paying the full fee every year while receiving zero benefit from snow removal, grading, or any other services. You’re basically donating to the cause, and we want you to know it’s not going unnoticed. Truly, your willingness to ignore the actual law so the rest of us, many of whom would be made to pay far more than we do now, if the laws were followed, can have nicer roads is inspiring.

We also want to thank the board for their consistency. They once mocked the idea of a “tiny little road” needing its own district… and yet here they are, happily collecting full fees from people who drive just a few hundred yards before reaching the county road. The dedication to principle is truly something to behold.

So again, from all of us, a very few who use the majority of the road: thank you. Your continued financial support and willingness to accept a legally questionable flat fee is what makes this whole arrangement possible.

Keep being awesome.

Warmest regards,
A Grateful ‘Partial’ Road User