South Berwick resident Gretchen Straub has been thinking about the impact of businesses on property taxes and submitted this editorial:

I was thinking about how getting new businesses in town might affect the tax base so I did some research.  It shows that economic development should not be equated with tax relief at all.

The diagram shows why this is so. South Berwick’s taxable property base is roughly 640 Million dollars. That is over half a Billion dollars.  Billions are difficult to visualize, so this graphic puts the magnitude in perspective.  (more…)

The following is a guest editorial from South Berwick citizen Nicholas G. Tsakiris. Mr. Tsakiris is a member of the South Berwick Solid Waste Committee.

Recently, South Berwick Councilors, voted to institute a “Pay-as-You-Throw” (PAYT) program to help manage the town’s growing solid waste problem. This means that residents of South Berwick will soon be asked to buy special garbage bags, with the sale of these bags going to help fund the cost of waste disposal. I admit that when I first heard about PAYT, I was very skeptical. Since that time, I’ve been researching the program and came to realize that PAYT actually rewards recycling. (more…)

Over the last few years in South Berwick there has been a tug of war being played out in Council Chambers that has been characterized as a struggle between those who want economic development and those who want to preserve the village and the land. Now this struggle has erupted into calls for resignations and name calling in council chambers, on the streets, and in the comments of this blog. The town manager, all of the town council members, and many residents have all been conveniently slotted into one side or the other so we can all take sides and continue the drama and fireworks that some seem to enjoy so much.

In the last month the rhetoric has risen to inflammatory levels with accusations that those who are in favor of the comprehensive plan are trying to take away property rights and that the effort to get a regional development authority is a scheme that will result in taxation without representation. There have been rumors, insinuations, and allegations of wrongdoing by town councilors and the town manager. Those who speak out at town meetings and other public forums, including this blog, seem to represent the most extreme views. In private, I’ve heard from people with more measured and complex thoughts about the issues that they are reluctant to speak out publicly in the current climate. (more…)

In the last few weeks I’ve tried to find out everything I can about LD 2003, the bill that would allow the creation of the Southern York County Regional Development Authority. I’ve read the legislation, heard from proponents and opponents of the bill, and read the minutes of the Regional Efficiency Grant Working Group meetings. My initial reaction to the bill was negative, mostly because it seemed to come out of nowhere and I could find little information on it. I searched the Town of South Berwick website and only found allusions to it, but no clear statement about what it is and why it would be in the interest of the town to participate.

After reading all of the minutes of the Regional Efficiency Grant Working Group meetings, I am more positively disposed to the bill, but still have many questions. The minutes provided some insight into the vision behind the bill, the potential benefits, and the process for moving ahead. The positives that I saw: (more…)