Hi Derek,
Good to read that your 701 is flying again, mine has just been signed off by the L4 just need to get the paper work away.
Regarding your landing fees, don,t accept it, get all the pilots who fly regularly and write a good letter to the council explaining the benefits eg. what the aerodrome brings to the community.
We had the same down where I fly, they tried to increase the lease on our club rooms and hanger lease from $1200 a year to $4500 a year. We are only a small club 20 so we told them that if they did not charge us the same $1200 a year we would move out. We now have a 9 year agreement for $1200. Regarding the landing fees, at a council meeting in 2003 they made an agreement not to charge landing fees, then a few years ago I was talking to one of the airport staff when a light plane landed he pulled out a note book and wrote the plane rego down. I asked what he was doing and he said for landing fees. We complained, and not long after that nobody gets charge landing fees except commercial, but it is still in the ERSA which we are disappointed about .Most times it cost the councils more to chase their money for landing fees than what they charge. Maybe all the councils should just cut out the lavish food served up to the councilers elected by the people, on council night let them bring there own jam sandwich and thermus - should save them some money :-)