Here’s what we have for you this week in The Edge Real Estate section:
Property of the Week – Lori Rose of Stone House Properties offers a spacious modernist 4 BR/3 bath escape on 4.8 wooded acres, a seasonal creek, and a footbridge to a bonus cabin in the woods.
Transformations – Architect Pamela Sandler opens up a house on Onota Lake to light, movement, and, most importantly, to the lake itself.
Weekly real estate transactions for Berkshire County, Northern Litchfield County and Columbia County.
Market Perspective – In...
The most effective way to reduce property tax rates (or at least to restrain their growth) in Great Barrington would be to welcome the building of more second homes, more expensive homes, and more commercial property.
“It’s not right for Great Barrington, and at least for the immediate future we don’t need to continue the conversation.”
-- Great Barrington Selectboard Chair Sean Stanton
“It’s like using a machete to perform brain surgery. declared , to raucous laughter and applause. There’s no chance of meeting your objective, and it’s likely you’ll kill the patient.”
-- Alford Road resident Chip Elitzer
A residential exemption would tax people progressively more or less based on the assessed value of their home. The more your home is valued, the more you pay, just like the income tax.
"Eighty-three percent of all parcels in Great Barrington would benefit or be neutral [under the residential exemption]. If you include second homes, that changes to 74 percent.”
--- Finance Committee Chairman Michael Wise
According to calculations by Finance Committee Chairman Michael Wise, progressive property tax reform would cut 11 to 20 percent off the property tax bills of 80 percent of the town’s households.
In a letter to the editor, Nick Stanton writes: "Any time or effort spent discussing or planning how to redistribute our town taxes differently, however well intentioned, cannot solve the longstanding inherent unfairness of how our school operating costs are apportioned between the member towns."
If we could cut the tax bills for 80 percent of the homeowners living in Great Barrington, and cut them by 20 percent for most of Housatonic village, yet we decide not to do it, then we should be able to give those people a good explanation of the costs that compelled that decision.
In his open letter to Finance Committee Chair Michael Wise, Chip Elitzer writes: "Beyond the likely consequence of degrading our town's tax base, the enactment of your [residential exemption] proposal would – in my opinion – degrade the civic spirit of our town by unwittingly emphasizing class distinctions among neighbors and fostering class resentment."
Bill seems to be the only candidate to be strongly in support of Michael Wise’s residential exemption tax plan.
Any plan that reduces my taxes will be a real help to me and my family.
Bill represents the interests of young working families in town. He’s willing to discuss the issues with anyone.
In his letter to the editor, Michael Wise writes: “Based on my five years of close involvement in the details of this town’s government, and 40 years of direct involvement in other government and private sector organizations, it’s my judgment that we are unlikely to come up with efficiencies or consolidations that could significantly reduce the town’s budget without making significant cuts in the quality and quantity of public services.”
Reducing taxes on most of the homes in town is not going to reduce real estate values in a way that should concern anyone. It is going to make the town more affordable. My concern is with the families who live and work in town. The police officers, the firefighters, teachers and the people who plow and maintain our roads, the people who work in the shops and restaurants, in the hospital and the nursing homes — without them this town could not function.
In her letter to the editor, Dana Dapolito writes: "In a nutshell, this plan shifts the tax burden from lower-priced residential properties to more expensive homes, commercial properties and second-home owners through the use of a “Residential Exemption.” I think this plan is shortsighted and not suited to a small rural town such as Great Barrington."
A residential exemption would cut most property tax bills in town which includes the charge from the school district. Homeowners with homes assessed below around $470,000 would see a progressively lower tax rate, and three-quarters of residences in town fall below that “break-even value.
“People are hurting and we need to do something about it, to make our principal source of revenue progressive."
-- Michael Wise, member of the Great Barrington Finance Committee
