If Don Harty gets his way, voters will reject the final article on the Epsom Town Warrant, which asks if they favor a town form that requires them to itemize all of their taxable property.
Like others who oppose Article 19, which came through citizen petition, Harty believes the form (officially known as PA-28) that requires the names and ages of each household member, is a dangerous invasion of privacy that could leave the most vulnerable citizens – seniors and children – open to criminal activity.
The issue and the rest of the warrant will be discussed at Epsom’s SB2 deliberative session Saturday morning at 9 at the Epsom Central School.
Harty had long been troubled by a Big-Brother component attached to this paperwork, with government requesting more information than he thinks it needs, but his passion gained extra zest after the tragic events of October 2016, when his father and stepmother were killed during a home invasion in Massachusetts.
“It’s one extra thing that makes me come out against it,” Harty said. “But if my dad was out there working, I would still be against the damn form.”
Harty served two three-year terms on the select board and was one of the board members who voted to abandon the inventory of taxable property form about five years ago.
In his research, Harty discovered that about 200 municipalities did not use the form, while only a few dozen did. Furthermore, the form added hours and expenses to the town due to extra filing and mailing costs, and a $50 fine was levied to those who did not fill it out.
Last year, however, the form was brought back at the suggestion of a resident Glenn Horner, who wanted it to serve as a backup source of information – an insurance policy – to help the town prove in court that a resident had neglected to pay property taxes.
Horner, the chair of the zoning board, submitted his request to the select board, which has final say on the matter. Horner was unavailable for comment.
Harty, who gathered the required minimum of 25 signatures to get the article on the town warrant, says the form adds another way to find the names of elders and children, which were already available on property tax forms. He saw no reason to provide another path with which to uncover this information.
“You can go in and say you to want see a property tax form and the town has to show it,” Harty said. “Will an offender come in and do this? Probably not. But why open that door even a crack more?”
The events in Orange, Mass., in 2016 galvanized Harty’s opposition to the town tax form. A couple, needing a car and money, scoped out Thomas Harty’s home, where he lived with his second wife, Joanna Fisher, who was confined to a wheelchair at the time.
Thomas Harty was found dead in his home by a caregiver the next morning. Fisher died three weeks later.
Thomas Harty was 95 when he was killed. He loved to hike. He led an annual trip to the base of the Grand Canyon, retiring from that challenge at 92.
At the time of his death, he was still working for his son, who had long ago established his own business selling tools after moving to Epsom 35 years ago. Don picked up his father’s adventurous spirit, hiking 2,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail before settling here and getting married.
The select board will still have the final say no matter how the town votes on Article 19 in March, but select board chair Hugh Curley said he’ll abide by what the town wants.
“I can see the arguments on both sides,” Curley said. “I can see concerns on both sides.”
Harty said he’s friends with Horner and there are no hard feelings as Saturday’s SB2 meeting approaches. They simply disagree.
Harty said he will mention the threat he believes will surface if the measure passes on election day. He probably won’t mention his personal tragedy, but the memory remains part of the formula here.
“My antenna was up,” Harty said. “I was more conscious about a scam out there targeting the elderly. I’m very sensitive to that now.”
Hot topic: A petition article will ask voters if they “favor Keno games within the town.”
Budget:The proposed operating budget of $3.57 million would have a tax rate of $4.48, 33 cents more than last year. However, the default budget of $3.4 million would equal a tax rate of $4.07, seven cents less than in 2018.
Noteworthy articles: Three planning-board sponsored zoning amendments will be discussed, including one committing the property owner of a single-family residential unit or accessory dwelling unit to occupy the residence as a way to safeguard their upkeep.
Also, $190,000 is sought to buy a new six-wheel plow truck, for summer and winter maintenance, with equipment for the Highway Department, and $150,000 is earmarked for the reconstruction and improvements of town roads.
When and where: Residents will vote on the finalized version of the town warrant on March 12 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Epsom Central School.