I read weekly the goings on, the opinions, the arguments and I have some questions to add.
As a resident of Durham without children, who will see my property taxes go up close to $500 in one year, half due to the town and the other half due to having to pay for a new school I’ll never use that just bleeds money year after year, I question some things.
1. Now that the bond has been passed by all three towns, and I’m told that the initial numbers reflect the initial payments by each town, that “shall go down over time,” will my taxes go down accordingly? Or will you continue to take the same amount to accrue in your coffers?
2. If Freeport does leave RSU 5, then why does the bond we just voted on become null and void and need to be revoted on?
3. When the town of Freeport liberates itself from the RSU, then in the future when they start voting to spend more and more money on schools, how much are we going to have to pay?
I just escaped Yarmouth two years ago where my father’s property taxes went from $1,700 to $19,000 in 20 years and he was barely able to get out with a minimum amount of money to buy a house and live on. I foresee a similar pattern developing in this RSU. It has begun, and so it shall run its gamut forever with the majority of us that make less than the quoted “median income” of $50,000 per year suffering the most – with or without children in family.
And I would still like to know where my iPad is for free. After all, my taxes are paying for it, and I work for a living, barely.
Kyle Fletcher Baker
Durham
Send questions/comments to the editors.
