October, 1999

Fellow Residents and Registered Voters of West Vincent Township:

As someone who first bought property in West Vincent Township in 1980, and moved into a new home here in 1983 to escape the confines of suburbia, I find myself in the surprising position of asking you to VOTE NO on the OPEN SPACE TAX REFERENDUM in the NOVEMBER 2 municipal election. But I think there are some very good reasons to oppose a real estate tax increase for this purpose.

FIRST:   West Vincent Township currently has the 2ND HIGHEST TAXES of the 55 townships in Chester County (only Caln's are higher). That's primarily because we have the 2nd highest real estate tax rate of the townships that also have an Earned Income Tax. We would have ranked 3rd, but East Whiteland Township actually reduced their real estate tax rate by over 60% in 1999. In fact, at least 5 townships reduced their overall tax rates in 1999. Can you remember the last time our Township reduced its overall tax rates? I can't.

But with the final payment on the road repair loan, West Vincent Township's real estate tax rate should drop by over 50% next year, reversing the more than 100% increase enacted in 1997 to pay for the loan. It should, that is, if your Board of Supervisors hadn't found another use for the money. Hence, this year's Open Space Tax Referendum. It continues a tradition by this Township's supervisors to never reduce taxes, even in cases where they had previously been raised only because additional funds were needed due to a one-time, special circumstance.

Some of you may remember that several years ago West Vincent Township entered into an out-of-court settlement of a lawsuit. The Board of Supervisors raised the real estate tax rate for 3 years to cover the payments agreed to in the settlement. At the end of that period, I asked if they were now ready to reduce the rate by the same amount. Ken Miller, the Chairman of your Board of Supervisors, summed up his position by essentially stating that he didn't want to raise taxes, but he didn't believe in lowering them either. And his was obviously a majority opinion because taxes weren't lowered; the extra $50,000/year was simply absorbed into the general budget to be spent on other projects. This year, we're looking at more than triple that amount: over $150,000/year.

SECOND:   Who do you suppose will pay the most if this referendum is approved? Unfortunately, it's the very people who already own land that hasn't been developed. If two different property owners each have homes with the same assessed value; the one with the most land is going to pay more in County, School and Township real estate taxes. Whether it's woodland, agricultural land, horse pastures, open fields, etc., it's land that contributes to the openness of a rural community. But your Board of Supervisors wants you to make owners PAY MORE in Township taxes ON THESE OPEN LANDS.

It sounds to me a bit like "biting off the hand that feeds you." Do you enjoy walking, or riding a horse, on private lands? Are you a member of a hunt club that depends on private landowners so you can enjoy your sport? Do you enjoy hunting game? Or maybe you just like to look at open landscapes. If so, then why would you want to penalize the very people who allow you to enjoy these activities? Why give them another reason to "sell out" or develop their property?

THIRD:   What about residents who have retired, or are otherwise living on a fixed income, and want to continue to live in our community? Many of them have land that they would like to keep undeveloped. But this additional tax would be just one more incentive for them to "sell out" and move to another area where taxes aren't as burdensome.

FOURTH:   There are a number of organizations in Chester County that are dedicated to preserving open space. The French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust (which has already preserved some 7,000 acres), the Brandywine Conservancy (which has preserved even more) and the Natural Lands Trust are three. And now there is also the West Vincent Land Trust. If you VOLUNTARILY CONTRIBUTE to any of these organizations, you retain an important option: You can periodically evaluate what they've been doing. If you find you're still in agreement with their activities, you can continue your support. If not, you can reallocate your contributions to a different organization that you think is doing a better job. But if this referendum is approved, you will have lost the ability to "vote with your wallet"; you will be stuck with the Board of Supervisors' future decisions on how the money will be spent.

In addition, according to the Township's budget for 1999, we will end the year with about $250,000 in cash reserves, but over $1,400,000 of debt. That's equivalent to almost 2 years of total township general fund tax revenue at current rates (excluding the amount dedicated to the road repair loan). Prior to the mid-1990s, West Vincent Township rarely had any debt. Now, not only do we have debts for the new Township Building and road repairs, but we're also leasing new vehicles over 3 or more years each instead of paying for them outright. That has made it possible for your Board of Supervisors to do more within their current budget, but only at the expense of mortgaging the future. It means that more of the taxes collected in future years will have to be dedicated to paying the interest and principal on loans and leases for items purchased in prior years. And that may lead to higher taxes to cover current-year expenditures.

You may also be aware that Chester County will probably increase its real estate tax rates next year. The commissioners are contemplating additional spending of $140 million or so for an expansion to the open space program, several building and renovation programs, plus other projects. That could add about 20% to your County real estate tax bill if they use debt to finance those activities. It may not all come in one year, but it will eventually if the current commissioners remain in office. In 1999, about 15% of your County real estate tax payments were needed just to service existing debt.

Municipal elections generally don't draw as many voters as national elections. But as far as your everyday life is concerned, they are probably the most important. They determine the people who will control how your local roads are maintained, what type of police and fire protection you will have, how your local public schools will be administered, what and how services will be provided at the county level, and more.

This year, there are candidates from THREE PARTIES vying for election to most County offices. There is also a candidate conducting a write-in campaign for Township Supervisor. And there is the referendum on enacting an additional tax on real estate in West Vincent Township to fund open space preservation.

I hope you will take a hard look at ALL the candidates running for office this year and VOTE for the ones you think will do the best job. I also hope I have convinced you that increasing the real estate tax rate on all property, including undeveloped land, is not a good way to help preserve open space.

Vote NO on the OPEN SPACE TAX REFERENDUM

Punch #221 on November 2

Bob Ellis