It is extortion, pure and simple. They made an offer EAA couldn't refuse. I certainly hope that EAA carries through using whatever means necessary to get this reversed. My Senators were NOT among the 28 who signed the petition, and they will hear from me again, as will my representative.
It is NOT issue of how much it they demand. A dollar per attendee per day. (The savings in water prices will cover that several times over.) It is the issue of ramming a new fee down the public's throat without any semblance of due process of law. Is it any wonder why the latest polls show the public's trust in government to be even lower than it was before (and it was pretty low to begin with.)
Well there is an issue about cost, but that has to do with the absence of open negotiation -- which is another rule of law issue.