MOULTONBOROUGH — Updated taxable property values here are about to enter the last stages of being finalized for the 2009 tax year. Vision Appraisal Technology, the firm retained by the town, will be shortly mailing out informational letters to property owners of the town’s approximately 7,350 parcels of land. The letters will state the proposed assessed value of land and building(s) as of April 1, 2009. Property owners who would like an informal hearing to discuss the proposed values should call Vision Appraisal at 1-888-844-4300 from Monday, July 13, 2009 through Friday, July 31, 2009, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The last day scheduled for hearings is August 3, so property owners are encouraged to call Vision Appraisal as soon as they can. Topics of discussion can include an explanation of the valuation, information on the property record card as well as the market data used to determine the proposed value. The notices being mailed out are not tax bills, and Vision will not be able to discuss or predict the actual amount of the tax bill that will result. Informal hearings will be by appointment only and will be held at the Town Hall located on
New tax could put campgrounds out of business
By CNHT | June 30, 2009
According to a report by NH’s Senator Jeb Bradley, Democrats claim that the new tax on campsites closes a “loophole”. He said, “If budget writers really thought this tax on camping was closing a loophole it is hard to imagine why they would have introduced it in the wee hours of the night without a public hearing. The fact is that it is a brand new 9% tax on camping. It is positively amazing how supporters of this budget claim to be the politicians that support the little guy.”
Bradley is talking about the much-contested budget contained in HB1 and HB2.
And Paul Raymond, owner of Mascoma Lake Campground, could not agree more. He held a meeting with his seasonal campers about the new 9% tax, some of whom he says, are on a fixed income and will not be able to pay. Some have already canceled vacation plans.
“If campgrounds start losing seasonals because of this new tax they may have to close down” Raymond added.
Raymond said to look at the numbers. His campground alone brought $167,000 in revenues to the state last year. There are over 800 campgrounds in the state. When you do the math, the state has more to lose than gain, if these businesses fail. Raymond pointed out that all the surrounding stores, restaurants, and shops would be affected by this 9% new tax as well.
Raymond said the state invents new ways to spend money before knowing how to pay for it, and then rushes into a vote to get the money any way they can, without really looking at what damage they will do.
As someone who protested the budget in front of the statehouse last week, Raymond said that before he starts a new project at his campground, he looks to see how it will be paid for.
“Unlike the folks that create the new spending bills, if there’s no money at the time, we hold off to see how we will get it,” he said.
“It would be nice if one day the people that vote for more spending would really look at the harm they are doing to the very folks that voted them into office. We really need to change that roll call next time we vote.”
The budget not only taxes camping, it hikes taxes or fees on meals, tobacco, boat and car registration, salt water fishing licenses and most importantly, property taxes. According to Senator Bradley, this 10.48% increase also comes at a time when other states around the nation are cutting spending.
Dear Readers,
Click on the link below for information on the new nursing home project. This is information from the Carroll County Commissioner's Office. This is important for us all to view as this will have a direct impact on our taxes. Please feel free to post comments and ask questions. We will all one day be considering nursing home care for ourselves or a family member. Let's all learn as much as we can. Tell you friends and family to look at the figures.
| http://ccnhco.blogspot.com/2009/06/mountain-view-nursing-home-building.html |
The town voted on the establishment of a Heritage Commission at Town Meeting this year and we have been waiting for months for the Board of Selectmen to finalize volunteers to that commission. Once volunteer letters to the Board have been submitted and reviewed, we would think that the commission would be properly appointed and the newly formed Heritage Commission could meet and begin the tasks ahead of them. Not so: and still we wait. The Board of Selectmen still have not yet finished determining who is on the committee. Why is that?
There are several things that concern us about the appointments made thus far. For instance, at the Board of Selectmen meeting on May 14, 2009, Chairwoman Karel Crawford said that they would work on it at their scheduled work session on May 28th. Yet somehow at the Selectmen’s meeting on May 21, the very next week, announcements were made as to who would be appointed to the Heritage Commission. When did they discuss that they would make appointments at their May 21 Board of Selectmen’s meeting rather than at their scheduled work session? Is it possible that all five of the selectmen were on the same wave length at the same time? If they had a discussion, it was not before the public. If so, where are the minutes? Or is this privileged information not available to the public?
We wonder if there was some kind of discussion behind the scenes that no one bothered to recognize as a need to bring to the public under the Right to know law.
Another issue is the selection of one volunteer who serves on several other committees. No questions were raised at the appointment of Jean Beadle who serves as the Chair of the Advisory Budget Committee, as well as a member of the Town Planner Screening Committee. Yet when Selectmen Betsey Patten suggested that Jane Fairchild should be assigned as an alternate, she implied that Jane would be far too busy to be on the Heritage Commission as she is already a member of the planning board. Not Jean Beadle however who is the Chair of the ABC. She should be quite busy finding a replacement for a member that resigned, not to mention all the time to bring a new member of the ABC up to speed.
Don’t forget folks, the school will be in the midst of contract negotiations with the teachers union, the school budget, and the town budget and that should be more that enough to keep the ABC Chair quite busy. Why is an alternate assignment good for one but not the other?
Is there some favoritism amongst the appointments?
The third issue at hand is the select board member that is required by statute to serve on the Heritage Commission. Another statute states that there cannot be 2 members of the Planning Board on the same committee or board. Selectmen Ed Charest is on the planning board as is volunteer Jane Fairchild. How will this be resolved?
How long must we wait? There is a worksession June 25, 2009 @ 4pm........
Selectmen's Minutes 6/18/2009
"Legislative update: Betsey reported that work continues on the budget and she should have word at the next meeting. She added that there is a long list of increased/new fees and taxes. Ed added that the revenues are less than the 2004 revenues"
That's all folks.......really
