The Town of Farmville is completely justified in establishing a sanitation fee.

In this case, a quite modest $10 per month.

Or $2.50 a week.

There is no tax increase in the Town's proposed 2012-13 budget. As usual. The Town raises taxes as often as most people raise quadruplets. But municipal services don't grow on trees, unlike the leaves Town workers pick up for residents every year.

Many localities have separate fees for a variety of services that the Town of Farmville provides for its citizens without any additional cost to those taxpayers.

The sanitation fee is necessary to help meet costs associated with trash collection, which will continue to see the Town provide those large roll-out cart trashcans free, and a replacement when wear and tear makes that necessary, also without a fee.

Just as brush pick-up continues to be free, and fall and spring clean-up, which sees Town workers haul away all manner of debris. There are localities that charge for those services.

So Farmville residents will be getting their money's worth for that $10 per month. Indeed, there are more than a few elderly and handicapped residents who regularly see Town sanitation workers come to their back doors to take the heavy roll-out cart trashcans out to the curb, dump their contents in the trash truck, and then return the trashcan to the back door.

That's small town living with a big heart.

Which, in its own special way, is priceless.

-JKW-