Regarding “open space”, I am more familiar with one of these towns—Bolton. Bolton has a number of commercial farms and orchards. So, while it appears that there is open space, it’s taxable land. I do not know what the tax rate for working farms are. A quick search shows there are at least 20 working farms in Bolton. Likewise, Harvard has 19. Therefore, the numbers may not be so comparable.
> On Nov 28, 2022, at 2:20 PM, Adam M Hogue <adam.m.ho...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Agreed, this chart shows it the best. Towns with our population generally do > not have a large community center because they do not have the tax base or > population to support it. > > Adam M Hogue > Cell: <>(978) 828-6184 <tel:(978)%20828-6184> > >> On Nov 28, 2022, at 2:12 PM, Karla Gravis <karlagra...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> >> Hi Rich, >> >> While the hypothesis you presented seems reasonable, the facts show >> otherwise. If you look at the site you just linked, there are many Greater >> Boston Area towns in that list with lower population density than Lincoln, >> lots of open space, very little commercial base AND much lower property >> taxes. None of the towns in the table below are contemplating a $25M >> Community Center. >> >> Note: I have taken the population and density data from the site you linked >> and the average property tax rate is from the Department of Revenue >> https://dlsgateway.dor.state.ma.us/reports/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=AverageSingleTaxBill.SingleFamTaxBill_wRange >> >> <https://dlsgateway.dor.state.ma.us/reports/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=AverageSingleTaxBill.SingleFamTaxBill_wRange> >> >> <image.png> >> >> On Mon, Nov 28, 2022 at 1:04 PM Rich Rosenbaum <s...@bcdef.com >> <mailto:s...@bcdef.com>> wrote: >> >> There has been a bit of discussion regarding LIncoln's property taxes >> compared to other towns. One reason taxes may be higher than similar towns >> is our low housing density. >> >> Lincoln has consciously and deliberately limited density with land >> acquisition, zoning regulations, agricultural easements and more. >> >> The result is that there are fewer houses to distribute fixed costs. If you >> have two similar towns with the same number of miles of road, the less >> housing-dense town will pay more per family to maintain those roads. The >> same goes for many other services provided by the town. >> >> All of this wonderful open space that we all enjoy is not free. >> >> Here are some statistics from this site >> <http://zipatlas.com/us/ma/city-comparison/population-density.htm> (not sure >> of the date but I assume it does not change quickly): >> >> Town Population / sq. mile >> Bedford 926.37 >> Wayland 819.52 >> Sudbury 683.63 >> Weston 664.03 >> Concord 656.11 >> Lincoln 359.11 >> >> Our limited commercial base is also a factor. >> >> >> >> >> -- >> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >> To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org >> <mailto:Lincoln@lincolntalk.org>. >> Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/ >> <http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/>. >> Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/ >> <https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/>. >> Change your subscription settings at >> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln >> <https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln>. >> >> -- >> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >> To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. >> Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. >> Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >> Change your subscription settings at >> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >> > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >
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