letter to the editor

Taxes are rising

Mon, 08/06/2018 - 3:45pm

Dear Editor:

Boothbay Harbor property owners just got our tax bills and the clock is ticking.

News in recent stories in this paper should shock us given the expenses we may be facing soon — $10m on the school (so far) and $2m or so on the footbridge. And those are just the ones we know about.

Imagine the impact of those expenses on your tax bill.

By my calculation, the Coastal Prime (Rocktide)/Lobster wharf/Fish project alone should generate approximately $250,000 per year in tax revenue now and forever. And this doesn’t include the additional one-time approximate $1 million in development fees built into the new east side zoning plan — more revenue for projects.

This puts real perspective on the direct cost of delaying restoration of mixed use zoning to properties awaiting development. Delays largely due to the shenanigans of a few.

Time is not on our side; we must put forward a vote before none of us can afford to pay our bills.

Tom Myette

Boothbay Harbor taxpayer