Question about local development fees

Hey there,
I was wondering about something,
so I just got hit with a bill for development fees on my vacation home, and the amount is sitting just north of 21 $0.00! It wouldn't even be that big of a deal if it weren't for the fact that our very first neighbor—who actually lives there full-time—is paying maybe a tenth of what they're asking me for per square foot. I guess I'm wondering if there’s any legal way to fight this ridiculous number, because I mean, why should someone like me, who only spends maybe two weeks a year at the place, be footing a bill ten times higher than a local resident? To make matters even more absurd, we don't even have paved roads out here, let alone proper sewage systems or streetlights leading up to the property.
Is it actually legal for them to charge weekenders like me ten times more than the people living in the local township?
Has anyone else dealt with this kind of nonsense, and if so, what’s the best way to handle it?
Thanks for any insight you guys can give.

Wait, hold on—is this like a one-time thing, an annual fee, or have you just somehow racked up a massive debt? It sounds way too 🤔
to me.

It isn't even a massive amount, really; the local town council just passed this resolution regarding the construction of various municipal infrastructure projects and facilities, which they’ve committed to under their 2016 development program. It lists things like finishing up unfinished roads, building a cemetery, setting up sewage and water lines, public lighting, and just general construction work. They've set the unit price based on cubic meters, I believe.
If they end up not actually building the stuff, they’re supposed to refund the taxpayer a proportional part of that paid contribution along with whatever legal interest applies.

What I can't quite wrap my head around, though, is why someone like me—just a guy looking to have a weekend getaway spot—is being forced to pay ten times more per cubic meter than the people who actually live there full-time.

So, you're talking about that one-time construction fee? I mean, have you actually taken a look at the local city council ordinances, or whatever they're calling those municipal codes these days?

Nah, the building is already finished, so this is just some one-time municipal fee they’re slapping on everyone—residents, property owners, whatever—based on square footage and these specific zones they've drawn up. I guess the City Council just sat around and decided to pass the ordinance, but honestly, what am I even supposed to do about it? I mean, why should I, someone who just owns a little weekend getaway house, be stuck paying ten times more than my neighbor who actually lives there full-time? It feels like I'm being treated like some second-class citizen or just a total sucker, you know? Just because I happen to own property in this township, they think they can just bleed me dry, while the locals get a free pass.

In the area where my vacation rental is located, local authorities set two different zoning coefficients back in 2011 (one at 1.00, and another at 0.80 for the second zone). Downtown is fully lit, paved, and has gas, water, and all the amenities you’d expect. My property sits about 1.2 miles away from downtown. To get there, you have to take a side road that's partially paved, followed by a dirt track. We are nowhere near the center. We only have running water because we begged for it, and we managed to get a single streetlamp. As for our dirt path, the county sent a small truckload of gravel, which was immediately washed away by mud from the nearby cornfields. Consequently, whenever it rains, we have to call a tractor just to pull our car out.

They assigned us the Zone 1 coefficient. Meanwhile, they gave the Zone 2 rate to other nearby towns situated on the main highway—including this very municipality that collects the fees.

Do we have any legal grounds to demand a reduction of the zone coefficient to something below 1?

Based on the municipal services act dated July 19, 2018.

Article 96.

(1) Zoning areas within a local government unit for the collection of municipal fees shall be determined based on the level of development and availability of municipal infrastructure in that area.

(2) The first zone constitutes the area of the local government unit that is most highly developed and equipped with municipal infrastructure.

(3) The zone coefficient (Kz) is highest for the first zone and is set at 1.00.

We pay our property taxes on the vacation home dutifully.