[mcdude]

From the Gilford Steamer

To the Editor:

Yes, Island property owners must secede from shore towns and form their own town (or village)! Russell E Vaiden was absolutely correct in his conclusion,but only gave about 5 percent of the many real reasons to secede from shore towns. Compare tax bills for Island properties with shore side properties on equal basis (if you can find any, since buildings are drastically different on islands, typically less than 1/20 the usefulness when used, and available for use less than 1/4 as much). OK, just compare the land values per acre! My best estimate, based on those I know, is that island land is valued at 25 times shore side land, yet with 1/1000 the service cost to the town. (OK, I’m only referring to town Police, fire, and road service: ignored are school costs, since island owners don’t increase school costs). I’ve only been in Gilford for 34 years, and in that time, to the best of my recollection, every island structure fire was a total loss, and no island thefts or malicious damage was ever solved by Gilford Police. The reason: inaccessibility. This is obvious and not a fault of the Gilford Police or fire dept. So, with no possible cure, why should island property owners pay taxes for unavailable services? Island property owners are very limited in ways to get to their property. We all must own, or have expensive access to, a powerboat or equivalent, and must either pay several thousand dollars for a slip or more in town taxes for an owned slip. The Glendale Town Docks and launch slips are worse than a bad joke, and usefulness has gone down for years. As Russell correctly pointed out, the town passed up a golden opportunity to expand the dock and launch area, ignoring that half of Gilford’s taxes come from island properties! If one is paying about $6,000 in taxes, isn’t he to be allowed to park his boat trailer at Glendale? No, the selectmen say he has no rights there! As one paying even more in taxes, now I can’t even get a guest pass for my daughter to park at Glendale for a day visit! Our selectmen have gone totally mad! Individually they all seem nice, but collectively (like the Russians) they are totally out of touch with reality. I could go on and on, but I suspect that many other island owners will give us many more reasons to secede from Gilford. As a Gilford land based property owner, I expect that the secession of island property owners will result in a slight increase in Gilford tax rate, unless the selectmen reduce many wasteful spending schemes. Island owners, let us run our own "tea party" and join in the common good. Back when we were earning a fair income and bought 5 acres of island land for a place to swim and sail small boats, a powerboat cost $1,000 and summer slip $200, property tax of $300 didn’t seem too bad. As tax rates went up we sold off land, but each time our net tax went up! Now the remaining 1 3/4 acres cost much more tax than 49 acres shore side! I know other island owners with much worse stories of oppression, but that doesn’t make me anything but much more disappointed with Gilford! Like many other island property owners, I want to pass that property on to relatives and friends who will make the best use of it, but am now caught between a rock and a hard place: if I can’t pay the outrageous taxes, I’m forced to sell it (on a down market), or find a better alternative, which is, secede from Gilford! I suspect that my story matches most island property owners, and thus we must secede! The USA was based on the same correct attitude, and thus we must do the same! For a tiny fraction of what we now pay in taxes we could own shoreside slips and have a better security force. Don’t for a moment expect that Gilford will reduce island property taxes to block secession: they are not that intelligent, and even if they did, next year they would reverse it! Only a clean break can protect usland property owners.

Jack Stephenson

Gilford