No such thing as 'average' taxpayer in Moultonborough

To The Daily Sun,

Again the voting residents of Moultonboro are being asked to decide whether or not to load up the town's credit card with another vote on a $6.7 million bond, for the construction of a community center.

The proposal has continued to stir controversy as to what, where and why. Perhaps the appropriate question is WHO, yes who will really fund the majority of the proposed bond?

Moultonboro, a town of approximately 4,400 full-time residents has managed to construct or expand it's essential service infrastructure over the past 20 years. Significant capital expenditures for a town hall, life safety facility, library, waste management facility and schools have been funded over that period. But, the "dirty little secret" is exactly who has been paying for a very significant portion of all of these wonderful improvements. Answer, the 1,000 pound "Golden Goose" of resident and non-resident high-end property owners who arrived just at the beginning of these capital expansions.

Fueled by a market boom in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the town saw a corresponding construction boom and rising existing home values that expanded the tax base.

Consider that we are living in a time where nearly half of the country's population are more interested in what is "morally right" than what is factually correct. The town's people need to face BOTH these issues.

There are proponents of this $6.7 million bond who, in my opinion, put forth a fallacious, and selfserving argument that this Bond will increase the town's tax rate by ONLY $.26/1000 and that the "average" taxpayer will see only a modest and acceptable increase in their property tax, perhaps $40-$50/year. News Flash, there is no such thing as an "average" taxpayer in Moultonboro.

Note, that even though not currently law, the town is also always on the potential "donor town" list for the state to redistribute some of Moultonboro's tax revenue to other towns. And what about those residents and non-residents who own homes and business property, and ARE the "Golden Goose?" They might see an increase of $300, $500 or more, every year for the next 20 years. Should we care? Yes we should, unless we are just fine with spending "others people's money."

The town does not have statistics which identify resident vs. non-resident valuations of the $3billion of tax assessments and the $28 million in taxes collected, but it doesn't take much analysis to see that a disproportionate amount comes from the 20,000 plus non-voting, non-residents that arrive for the summer to spend time boating, fishing, swimming, cooking out and spending time outdoors. Do we think they are interested in laying additional golden eggs for a community center that might not score high up on their dance card? If they could vote do we think the majority would support this? After all, a community center is NOT police or fire protection for their homes or a library to get a book to read while on the beach or a place to bring theirtrash after a family BBQ. Those are services that all support.

Let's not get carried away here without concern of how an expenditure of this size effects everyone. Should we just revel in the thought that "it only effects me by a few bucks, and it's okay for someone else to carry the load as long as I get what I WANT!"

Proponents make arguments that we need a community center to help attract people to our community. What attracts people to a community are good schools, jobs and economic opportunity, a clean and safe environment, and favorable taxes, NOT that there is a $6.7-million community center.

I have been a resident of Moultonboro for 23 years. I have been a homeowner, business owner, Realtor, and, in the past, a two-term member of the town Planning Board. I am NOT a lobbyist for anyone. I am a realist. I am NOT against supporting some "reasonable" investment in a community center for the town. What I am against is a mindset that seems to infect government at all levels, municipal, state, and federal.

Judging from the past, our town is no different. When one project bond is finally paid and the town credit card finally has a zero balance, we can go on another spending spree. We have that gift from the "Golden Goose." Our school bond is ending, so let's go shopping.

$6.7million is a lot of money, without even a discussion of legacy costs to operate such a facility. This community center is a WANT, not a matter of health, safety or education. Other towns have built and are currently building respectable facilities for a third the price of this proposal (reference town of Fryeburg, Maine ) Others have sought private donations and other ways of raising capital. Have we made an honest effort to explore other avenues?

We were similarly here in 2016 and the article was rejected at the Town Meeting. Are we doing this again thinking that resident demographics has changed so much since 2016 that the result will be different, or do we have the same people proposing the same agenda driven solution? What is needed when we vote on the town ballot, March 12, and at the Town Meeting, March 16, is a change in town Selectboard leadership and a clear message that we don't want to go down this same road again. Why not take a step back and solve the issue with a more sensible and more affordable proposal that is fair to everyone.

Barry Rudkin

Moultonboro