In a time when people are losing jobs, their homes and the nations economy is in steep decline, a fee increase or any increase seems over reaching, burdensome and further debilitating to Contractors. More and more Contractors are closing their businesses and finding themselves out of work because of this economy; which makes every dollar that Contractors have so much more valuable. For the Board to increase our fees because of their funding deficits is the easy route and seems to only underscore this point.

In troubling times one can look at the following example: Wal-Mart, low prices equals increased sales, then look at Saks Fith Avenue, high prices equals lowers sales. Why not  seek another means of generating revenue to cover cost associated with declining licensure numbers? The Board could begin charging a fee to file a complaint and investigate it or create a link where anyone checking licensure would be asked to make a donation for using the service? Then again, maybe the Board could learn a thing or two by those whom they regulate and cut cost by letting go of certain positions and doing more with less. In difficult times increasing fees is the easy route but the Contracting industry has never been about the easy route. The Board would better serve all Contractors by foregooing the easy route an not increase the fee schedule.