To the editor:
I would like to respond to David Hill’s letter in last month’s Working Waterfront concerning the Maine Land Bank and Community Preservation program. Mr. Hill misses the point that if you are a resident or non-resident who has the luxury of a second or third home and can’t afford the taxes you can sell that luxury item and still have a place to live. For those who only have their homes and can’t afford the taxes, selling has a greater impact on them and their communities. Also, the Maine Land Bank program would go back to a past assessment of the land values. I believe 1997 was the year mentioned at a meeting as a base value of land in the program. This is one of the basic flaws in the program – unless your town had an updated revaluation done around then, these values are probably not fair or accurate. As a newly elected selectman one of the first things I pushed for was a revaluation for the whole island. Last year the voters approved the first half of the money and hopefully the other half of the $200,000 (plus or minus) cost of the revaluation will be raised at our next town meeting. When we get our Tree Growth reimbursement from the state we won’t receive it happily. The islands and coastal communities get a much lower reimbursement rate than inland communities. Mr. Hill spoke of “summer natives.” This is a term I have never heard before. Sorry, Mr. Hill, summer people are not natives. Summer people are summer people, no matter if they have come to an island for years or came off the boat today. Mr. Hill seems to have an exclusive country club view of the summer community. If your family has summered for generations you are a pillar of the community. If you new to the island you don’t give a damn about it and aren’t welcome to join their exclusive group. Myself, I don’t prejudge summer people. My relationships are based on the individual. In fact my mother is a former summer person and I have some real good friends who are summer people.
The bottom line is the Maine Land Bank may benefit Mainers, but those from out of state who can afford the luxury of second and third homes will benefit the most.
Eric N. Davis
Vinalhaven