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| January 13, 2006 Barnstable Patriot |  |
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Implementing tax breaks harder
than voting for them
By Paul Gauvin
pgauvin@barnstablepatriot.com
Taxitis, to coin a word, is an ailment engendered
by what French philosopher Voltaire described in
1764 as "...the art of government (that) consists in
taking as much money as possible from one party
of the citizens to give it to the other."
Two hundred and forty two years later, that's
precisely what Barnstable's bustling bureaucrats
are doing as we communicate. They are scrambling
to seize more taxes from unsuspecting non-resi-
dent homeowners and conferring the proceeds in
tax relief to resident landowners with properties
valued at less
than $800,000.
In retro-
spect , it was
easier to vote
for the tax
changes than
it is to imple-
ment them.
Function-
aries in the
assessors'
office are
scrambling
because the
tax bills were
due by Dec.
31 (Who has
money so soon after Christmas?) and because they
are just completing the separation of resident and
non-resident property owners to determine who is
eligible for the 20 percent residential exemption. It
has been no small task.
Also, employees in the tax collector's office and
information systems division are a bit antsy over
the rush of changes foisted on them by the council
action.
For the moment, residents benefiting from the
exemption aren't complaining about a late invoice.
They are savoring a rare tax decrease. Unless they
do their own math, they won't know what that
break is until they get a tax bill.
Talk to anybody in town hall doing the work
involved in implementing the more complex tax
structure and you willhear many of them wish they
had been given more time to prepare.
But they weren't and the onus is on them and
their consultants now to make it happen soonest.
Meantime, some employees say they feel it was
unfair to them to rush into implementation when
they and the computer system weren't ready to
handle it.
As it now stands, the Dec. 31 bill won't be ready
until February or April meaning also that sub-
sequent bills will pop up much sooner. (Let your
payments pile up and don't give in to the urge to
spend them.)
Chief assessor Paul Matheson, who is retiring
in a matter of weeks, said the problem of iden-
tifying eligible residents has been a demanding
process. "We sent out 23,000 questionnaires and we
got 16,000 back. Of that number, 70 percent were
residents and 30 percent weren't." With so many
non-respondent s, the town employees had to begin
the labor-intensive task of identifying residents via
the voting list, the street list and excise tax bills to
discover the correct data for the computers.
Tax collector Maureen McPhee, who is telling
friends she will not run for re-election next year
(2007), said she's been getting phone calls from
residents wondering where the tax bills are.
t
CONTINUED ON PAGE A:8
fCORNER
t-i_ —a— By Paul Gauvin
SETTINGTYPE ATTHEBARNSTABLEPATRIOT,Circa 1940 -The days before computers
were blessed with at least a modicum of typesetting automation, but the hot-type
imachines left much to be desired.
2
Wonder what we have inthe archives? Drop us a note with a request for some past Barnstable
scene and we'll see what we can find. P.O.Box 1208, Hyannis, MA 02601 or by fax: 508-790-
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or
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ACROSS TIME 6PLACE
I RETROSPECTIVE S FROM THE ARCHIVES
On the verge of health j
care reform
By Rep. Jeft Perry, Fifth Barnstable District |
Recent statistics show that ap-
proximately half a million people in
Massachusetts are without health
insurance coverage. While some
people can afford to purchase
health insurance and simply choose
not to, the large majority of unin-
sured are people who work for small
employers who cannot afford to
provide employer sponsored health
insurance.
The problem of the uninsured is
everyone's problem , costing gov-
ernment , providers and ultimately
you the taxpayers more than a bil-
lion dollars every year. As a State
Representative working on health
care reform, I have been advocating
for and supporting an effort to pass
a true, free market-based health-
care program. Personally, I do not
believe in a government-mandated
universal coverage scheme or a
single payer system, and under no
circumstances should we ask the
citizens or businesses of Massachu-
setts to pay higher taxes to fund any
such reform effort. From my point
of view reform means changing for
the better the way we deliver health
care, not simply spending more
money on the current system.
While there is a variety of propos-
als being discussed and it appears
that the Legislature is on the verge
of a significant health insurance
reform , my fear is that despite some
very good intentions, we could get
the "reform" wrong and create a
system that increases the burden
on our business community and one
that fails to truly provide expanded
health care coverage.
One of the proposals currently
in Committee would impose a six
to eight percent additional payroll
tax of the business community. As
regular readers of my column are
aware, I stand firm against any new
taxation and strongly believe that
our business community is already
faced with a vast array of taxes and
CONTINUED ON PAGE A:8
LIFE
qu_
the
HILL
BY ELLEN C. CHAHEY
Set down this newspaper, go to your calen-
dar and write down "7 p.m., Jan. 23, St. Francis
Xavier Church." Then come back and finish
reading this column to find out why I hope
you'll be there.
• • •
I'm what's known in church life as an
"ecumaniac." As much as I love my church, I
can't get enough of worshipping in churches
other than my own.
I treasure the Easter vigilI spent in a Rus-
sian Orthodox church on the Mount of Olives
in Jerusalem. We walked around the church
three times in a symbolic "search" for Jesus,
who on Easter eve is remembered as crucified
but not yet risen.
There was the time I preached at New Hope
Baptist Church here in Hyannis just after my
mother had been seriously injured in a car
accident. I know that our prayers together
helped her recover.
As one of the standing "dates" in the early
years of our courtship in college, my future
husband and I attended midnight Mass in the
Paulists' little chapel at BU. This was in the
late Sixties and the music was Peter, Paul &
Mary stuff sung to guitar. The intimate feeling
can't be duplicated in daylight.
One rainy Sunday, I was preaching from
the vertiginous pulpit of West Parish in West
Barnstable. During the announcement period,
someone read off the license number of a car
whose lights had been on. Of course, it was
mine. There was a great deal of mirth as the
good people of the church had to scramble to
retrieve my car keys (which of course were not
with me in the pulpit) and remedy the situa-
tion.
On an equally rainy Sunday, I sat in silence
with the others around the wood stove in the
little Quaker meeting house in Sandwich.
By chance also in attendance was a friend of
mine, a dear man who had survived Dachau,
the same Nazi death camp that my father had
helped liberate.
In an Episcopal church, I watched the
people literally bend to hear the Gospel, which
was being read from the center aisle. I was
so moved by the sight that I went home and
sketched it - even though I normally do not
have either the talent or the inclination to
draw.
I remember the beautiful and nuanced funer-
al for a friend in West Barnstable 's Lutheran
church; a richly symbolic baptism of a friend's
grandson in a Roman CathoMc church in Fram-
ingham; the powerful emotion of an ordina-
tion at Zion Union Church; the chants in the
candle-lit Abbey of Taize, France; the wedding
of two friends in an elegant United Methodist
church to the music of a grand piano that had
been the gift of the bride's family.
I've danced in the worship at Old South
Church in Boston, and on the dewy August
grass for an early-morning communion at a
Methodist preachers ' conference.
My childhood church was a Hungarian
Reformed Church that looks like the ones in
the builders' homeland. The church of my
teens was one of the most creative and modern
houses of worship ever built. My college and
seminary "chapel" was a Gothic celebration of
woodcarving and stained glass.
Now I minister to a congregation that
gathers in a simple and serene New England
sanctuary. My memories here include my in-
stallation as director of the Cape Cod Council
of Churches; our prayer service on 9/11; the
Martin Luther King services (please join us at
CONTINUED ON PAGE A:8
INOTHERQ
Taking us to school
Thanksfor that greatunsolicited plugfor our
book on Cotuit &Santuit inthe Jan.6issue of
the Patriot. One small correction. In column
4, you say the high school was destroyed by
fire in 1937. As we say on page 60 it was torn
down, and some parts used to build the cur-
rent firehouse.
Jim Gould
Cotuit
Two perplexing questions
Editor 's note: Two letters submitted by the
writer have been combined below.
I am confused about the term "open space."
This term is used to describe many different
types of property that various organizations
on the Cape want to set aside for various pur-
poses. "Open space" has been used for sports
fields,golfcourses,and wellfields. Barnstableis
consideringusing"open space"landsto deposit
waste from its septic treatment plant.
I don't play golf. Should my taxes pay for
"open space"for a golf course that is set aside
under special arrangements that prohibit my
town from makinga profit from the property?
That's not fair!
In my mind,"open space"island set aside for
preservation asit is.Managethe vegetation for
^ K t
fire prevention and maintain a limited number
of pathways. Prohibit all motor vehicle traffic
and prevent over-use. Don't cover everysquare
foot with paths that wind around aimlesslyand
go nowhere. If our towns want to buy land for
playgrounds and ball parks, they should des-
ignate the land and the source of the funds up
front. We need to legally clarify the term "open
space" before all the land is gone.
Who owns the airport?
TheBarnstableMunicipalAirportissupposed
to servethepeople ofthe town.Theorganization
doesn't seemto be responsible to the residents.
They allow airplane engines to run at alltimes
of the day and night.They won't consider insti-
tuting noise abatement programs that govern
airplane speeds, altitudes, and directions.
Enforcement of these regulations is common
in all other areas of the country and the world
and they have been proved to be safe. Many
airports have specialsound-resistant buildings
for night time engine run up.
The Town of Barnstable owns the airport.
The town receives some income from rent, but
ifthe airport makesanyprofit it can't goback to
the town.The Townof Barnstable allows these
injustices to continue. Something is not right
here. It is time to get the airport to be respon-
sible to the people of the townand not the other
!
way around. If that doesn't happen, then it's
time for the government of the town to become
responsible to the people of the town.
Whitney P Wright
Barnstable
Troops appreciate your thoughts
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who
contributed to the latest round of the "We Still
Support You"letter and holiday card campaign
in support of our military service members
fighting the war on terrorism.
Because of the efforts of countless residents
of Cape Cod, including numerous school and
religious groups. 45 packages of greetings were
delivered to the brave men and women serving
overseas.I amsure ourtroops willbe touched by
thethoughtfulexpressionofappreciationandsup-
port delivered through your cards and letters.
Our brave men and women need to know and
be frequently reminded that we still support
their efforts to bring freedom and peace to all
people of this earth. Once again, thank you for
assisting me in the effort and best wishesfor a
safe and prosperous 2006.
Rep. Jeffrey Davis Perry
Sandwich
Protection money on the Cape
There are some reallv queer fish here on Cape
J-
Scrod. They want to protect a body of water
that is already mercury-polluted by protecting
the very sources of that pollution! When an al-
ternative clean source of our necessary energy
is offered, they give money (some big-time) to
kill the very project that could truly save our
Sound, as well as protect our pocketbooks
well into the future. Isn't donating money for
continued polluting rather weird?
Nature is kind enough to offer us clean fuel
for free ,whereasthe dirty stuff getsincreasingly
costlier. New Englanders of my age learned in
ouryouth that frugality wasnext to cleanliness,
which was next to Godliness. Recent arrivals
to the MacMansion-lined shores of the Sound,
some ofwhosewealthcamefrom pollutingother
places, are now devoting large chunks of their
cash to this protection of local polluters, and
want us to thinkof them as environmentalsav-
iors.Sorry,but thatwon'twash. (Theirmansions
negate the proper use of the word "pristine,"
which means undefiled nature.)
The most needed protection we could seek is
from the very office holders we once voted for,
who are now serving other interests than ours.
We should give them full-time leisure to enjoy
the Cape by selecting more astute and caring
replacements to do the governing.
Richard C. Bartlett
Cotuit
V 0
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