Residents in Ohio who want to collect rain water in their backyards will have to pay a mandatory tax imposed by the local government. Any resident installing a rain barrel in their yard will have to pay a $31 fee for the privilege. Wearechange.org reports: Last week, the Sun Post reported that it would cost just $1 to install a rain barrel. That was based on a reading of a rain-barrel ordinance that City Council approved May 7. The ordinance established regulations for rain barrels. The ordinance — while referencing another pre-existing code section — seems to state that the city fee for “storm water storage containers” is $1. However, looks are deceiving. What the ordinance did not say is that — under the other pre-existing code section — there is a base fee of $30 for storm water storage containers and other plumbing items. So to calculate rain-barrel fees, residents should start with $30, then add $1 for each barrel they want to install. Paul Deichmann, city engineer, believes the rain-barrel fee was established after 2008. It has remained unchanged since then. But if the fee hasn’t changed, why did the city bother mentioning it — and the pre-existing [...]