Look at costs

To the editor:

Why not do a cost-of-community-services study in the interest of taxes? This would provide an excellent avenue for pointing development in the right direction and getting the best bang for our tax buck. The current commissions inherited a mess. Taxpayers need detailed data this study would reveal.

A cost-of-community-services study would provide valuable data for local decision-makers:

  • Does all development pay for itself? Does developed land contribute enough in taxes to cover the cost of providing services?
  • Proponents of development argue that increased development leads to higher assessed values for land, and therefore more revenues for local governments. Is this true or safe to assume?
  • What types of development will produce revenues to support local governments?
  • What are the many “external” costs associated with new development which are borne by the entire community, not just by the newcomers?
  • Does residential development not provide enough tax revenues to pay for the services it was provided?
  • What is the primary reason residential lands are so expensive to service?
  • Do agricultural lands and commercial/industrial facilities in essence subsidize residential development?
  • Is it in the community’s best interest to mix efficient development with the preservation of its farmland and open spaces to keep taxes from rising dramatically as the demand for services increases with new residential development? Green spaces and agricultural land do not necessarily demand costly city or county services.

Richard Heckler,

Lawrence