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Tiny Houses for Taxes—
Tuesday, February 23, 2021 2:54 PM
Once again, the Rockland City Council is proposing the introduction of tiny houses in everyone’s back yard or side yard as an answer to a need for affordable housing.
Although countless examples of surface water flooding throughout Rockland’s neighborhoods have been amply documented by former Rockland Community Development Director Rodney Lynch and others, the City Council has ignored these warnings and resurrected this proposal that was initially withdrawn in the face of a citizens’ petition and a lawsuit in 2019.
And yet, here we are again.
The real motivation behind homeowners’ requests for accessory apartments is a need for additional income to help pay Rockland’s notoriously high property taxes.
Rather than degrade Rockland’s neighborhoods by stuffing in tiny houses, I suggest that the City Council dedicate itself to reducing our property-tax burden.
Richard D. Warner, Rockland
If the elderly grandmas who died in nursing homes across America last year had lived in tiny homes in the yard of a family member, in Summer spending time outside in the fresh air and sunshine tending tiny gardens, contributing Tiny Tim heirloom tomatoes along with their homemade baked beans at family barbecues; from under a shade tree enjoying grandchildren splashing around in a kiddie pool; in Winter bundling up to put seeds out for tiny chickadees in feeders placed to be seen from a kitchen window; evenings relaxing with a tiny cat beside them as they knitted Christmas presents, chances are they'd not only still be alive but leading happier, greater lives. (Where there's a will there's a way to mitigate any drainage issues. And allowing tiny homes and lowering taxes are not mutually exclusive.)
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Good short letter. Short is good.
In your next letter you might remind the folks in power that some progressive towns buy up land so it cannot be sold off for house/apartment lots. Any additional income from the taxes on new homes is more than wiped out by the extra expense of more police, more teachers, more prison guards, more trash....
Good leaders are always receptive to good advice. humble.
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