A post-tax-capped Lewiston will look very different, based on City Administrator Jim Bennett’s proposed fee structure. Proposals include an annual fee for fire service, a per-foot fee for road frontage, a pay-per-bag trash collection program, apartment inspection fees, and increased fees for recreation and the library.

One thing is sure: Switching from a property tax revenue system to a user fee system will affect every taxpayer differently.

The Sun Journal has created a Web-based calculator that shows how much an individual Lewiston taxpayer would gain or lose based on Bennett’s fee plan. It calculates property taxes before and after a proposed property tax cap and the proposed fire service, road frontage, trash bag and school athletic fees for Lewiston single family homes.

The calculator is at www.sunjournal.com/calcs/lew_land.php on the Sun Journal’s Web site. Users will be asked to type in their home’s assessed value (available on the city of Lewiston’s geographic information system Web site at gis.ci.lewiston.me.us), the property’s length along a city-owned road, and the number of children participating in school athletics.

– Scott Taylor