SNOWMASS – The Snowmass Village Town Council voted Tuesday in favor of an agreement on how it would honor its $2 million commitment to Pitkin County to contribute to the purchase of the Droste property.

In 2010, Snowmass Village voters approved a mill levy of $2 million to help with the $17 million of the Droste property, which allowed Pitkin County, the town of Snowmass Village and the city of Aspen to connect open space parcels and create Sky Mountain Park. An issue of concern to the Snowmass council has been a 2 percent fee required by state law to be paid to the county collecting a property tax.

County and town staff together developed an alternative in which the $40,000 collection fee could be offset by revenue from the motor-vehicle-ownership tax.

“Those two are not necessarily connected, but the math adds up,” Town Manager Russ Forrest said.

Another alternative proposed by staff would have included all fees in the $2 million. The council voted 3-2 in support of the first option.

Councilman Fred Kucker, who opposed that agreement, said Pitkin County Open Space is the governmental entity benefitting from the tax and therefore should be responsible for the fee.

“The entity that benefits is the entity that ought to pay this transfer fee,” he said.

Councilman Jason Haber echoed that sentiment and also voted against it.