A change for the better
Sen. Innis from Bradford makes a strong case in his July 22 My Turn against rising property taxes. Unfortunately, he mangles the facts for political expediency rather than proposing constructive solutions.
He claims the reason your tax bills have gone up is entirely the Democrats fault. An incredible front end statement considering that New Hampshire state government has been controlled by Republicans for the past decade. To claim that the Democrats are the ones responsible for town budgets from which taxes are figured is entirely disingenuous.
In the case of Epsom, as I suspect in most small towns, nonpartisan school boards, budget committees and selectmen meet for months to pare down the final bills sent out. Attend these meetings and witness for yourself how property tax bills are whittled down to the bone.
I could go on about how much Rep. Innis misleads with his piece, including ignoring what his party has done to reduce rather than raise revenue to stay in line with costs. Or that their latest scheme to cap local taxes will lead to public school closures gutting the hearts out of New Hampshire towns. But I’d rather propose the only sensible solution of simply abiding by the New Hampshire Constitution.
Adequate school funding is the responsibility of the state. Until we transfer the tax burden from local property tax payers to the entity best able to support public education, this festering problem will worsen. On Nov. 3rd vote for a change for the better. Vote Democrat.