|
Support the Effort to Renovate and Add On to NH Fire Station
To the Editor:
The Philipstown North Highlands Fire District is asking the voters to support its effort to renovate and add on to its fire station.
Joel Cooper has written to the paper on two occasions making certain inaccurate claims about the project, stating that the tax increase will be 150% to 200% higher than the Commissioners claim. He is mistaken.
Last winter, the calculations for the proposed tax increase were reviewed by Public Finance Associates, Inc., a firm that specializes in municipal bonds. They stated that the assumptions are reasonable. This spring, the Commissioners had the new tax calculations reviewed by Fiscal Advisors and Marketing, Inc., also a firm that specializes in municipal bonds. They also stated that the assumptions are reasonable.
Last fall the Commissioners brought a $5.7 million proposal to the taxpayers. Based on calculations that took into account an existing building reserve, income the District was already collecting, and anticipated growth in the tax base, it was determined that the annual tax increase for the "average" home (assessed at $216,000 in 2005) would be $146 for the first 13 years, and then drop to $93 for the remainder of the 25 year bond.
Mr. Cooper attended one of the three public hearings, and expressed concern about our tax assumptions. The Commissioners told him that they would greatly appreciate his help in evaluating their proposal, and his assistance in having the project go forward. Without any further word to the Commissioners, Mr. Cooper sent a letter to the editor and the Commissioners at the same time, stating that the tax increase would be more than double what the commissioners claimed. He also criticized our assumption that the value of the properties in the District would increase at an annual rate of 5%.
The 5% tax base growth assumption was based on a conversation with George Michaud, of the Putnam County Real Property Tax Service Agency. He felt a 5% tax base growth would be appropriate due to current trends in extensive renovation and additions to homes, and the emerging trend of buying homes to knock them down and replace them with new, larger homes.
Over the winter the building was redesigned to reduce the size and cost by 14%. Two schemes were evaluated. One reduced the publicly available meeting space and one reduced the apparatus bay. After much consideration and debate, the Commissioners decided that they would maintain the ability of the station to serve the community needs for a place to gather and reduced the apparatus bay. This reduced the cost of the project to $4.8 million, saving $900,000.
Property tax increase will be $140 for the "average" house for the first 14 years, and then drop to $105 for the remainder of the 25 year bond, an average of $125. This calculation uses a more conservative growth rate of 2.5%, which is why the tax increase has only dropped 4% while the cost of the project has dropped 14%.
Please support your firefighters and vote for the station.
Robert Mitchell
Architect for the North
Highlands Fire Station
George Lisikatos
Chairman of the Board of
Fire Commissioners,
Philipstown North Highlands
Fire District
| 
