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Busting the 'We Need More Commercial Development to Decrease Our Taxes' Myth
Dear Editor:
What most people do not understand is that all new development costs the taxpayer more in services than what the town receives in revenue.
The former Governor of New Jersey stated: "For years, all over New Jersey we thought if we built one more road, one more mall, one more housing development, our problems would be solved. The truth is - that is the problem.
There is no single greater threat to our way of life in New Jersey than the unrestrained, uncontrolled development that has jeopardized our water supplies, made our schools more crowded, our roads congested, and our open space disappear.
And the irony is that the very promise that this development would lower our property taxes has turned out to be false.
In fact, the opposite is true. Runaway development drives up our property taxes, it doesn't lower them."
What is more important is to find a way to encourage our residents to support our existing local businesses to help make them more successful. We need first to define what we want our town center to look like and identify the kinds of businesses that can succeed Before we haphazardly just invite more development in, or decide we need more. Given our history, we don't need any more failed enterprises, and empty shops.
In any event, taxes generated from a lot more commercial development will not be the windfall profits promised that will lower our town taxes. But it may in fact destroy our unique rural town identity.
Wendy Whetsel
Putnam Valley
Councilwoman
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