I am here today to support downtown homeowners. We talk about how we have to attract homeowners back to Easton, but many things we do discourage potential homebuyers from considering Easton when purchasing a home and growing deep roots in the community. I believe strongly that bringing first time homebuyers to Easton is essential to assure a healthy, fiscally strong community.
I am concerned how the proposed Neighborhood Improvement District will impact our current Downtown homeowners and future Downtown homebuyers. I oppose any NID that has a negative fiscal impact on Downtown residents
Increasing property taxes by almost 30% is an unacceptable fiscal burden on DT homeowners. They already endure many existing hardships to live in our DT. As all homeowners in Easton they currently pay the highest property taxes in Northampton County. As all resident they pay the highest Earned Income Tax rate in Northampton County. They also have parking meters in front of their homes and they deal with event related traffic disruptions.
People will say wait a minute Mike it’s not a tax it’s a fee. To that I say no matter how you try to disguise it or what you call it. It is still a tax. It is described in terms of millage based on assessed property value how can you call it anything but a tax. I also have a problem with a shadow government of Authorities, Boards and Commissions administering the funds. We allowed the Riverwalk project to be handled in much the same way resulting in a taxpayer expense of nearly a million dollars with nothing to show for it. The Greater Easton Development Partnership has been in charge of extending the life of downtown Improvement programs since the Mitman administration. It allowed the State funds to expire, it allowed the Lafayette College grant to expire with no viable plan to keep the programs running. Now with all the funds spent, Easton’s elected officials stepped in and provided $417,000 dollars to keep the programs going. I oppose using tax payer dollars to sweep the sidewalks of downtown merchants while our elderly residents struggle to keep their homes and pay their taxes. Now supporters of the NID want it quickly pushed through without fair opportunity for dissent
I believe that the purpose of local government is to provide traditional basic services that we as residents can’t provide for ourselves. Sidewalk sweeping is something we don’t need government to supply. Pride is a state of mind not a mandate of government.
I would also like to take a minute to talk about a related topic, open government. So far I believe City Council has handled the NID proposal poorly. Closed door meetings, failing to publish the drafts, keeping dissenters in the dark, rushing the proposal forward with unacceptable timelines, counting the lack of a vote as a yes vote, then making excuses for the conduct. “Riverwalk Rerun”
Council owes residents an apology. They should have known that having closed door meetings was questionable and rescheduled presentations for a public meeting. I was happy to see Jeff Warren step up and at least acknowledge the mistake. I applaud him for his honesty.
I am calling for our elected officials to do the following.
1. Direct Ms. Lippencot to make any draft proposals readily available in multiple forms to DT property owner.
2. Make all information pertaining to the NID available on the City website as well as hard copies in a location like the Easton Library.
3. In a specified time period, let’s say 30 days, to supply a ballot, not a push poll, to all DT property owners within the proposed district to decide if there is enough real support for the proposal to continue forward.
Mike Krill
