To the editor:

The Phoenix printed a story in the East Bay Window section last week, which prompted me to write this letter. The article, written by Scott Pickering and headlined “Tax bills in R.I. — from top to bottom” was a good example of Mr. Pickering’s fine writing skills. He is especially good at collecting data from various sources and analyzing it, especially on topics that require deeper analysis than most stories. The story compared all tax rates by cities/towns and which Rhode Island municipalities were impacted by more or less residential vs. commercial tax collections. Bristol’s tax rate is in the middle of the pack.

In the weeds of Bristol’s residential housing stock, is the percentage of larger condominium developments, like North Farm with 300 units, the very high value Stone Harbour complex on Thames Street has around 90 units, Windmill Pt, etc. The Town of Bristol Town Councils, Administrators, Planning Department, Planning Board and Zoning Boards board decisions to allow these complexes through the past fifty or so years was a stroke of forethought, policy decisions, and genius.

For the most part, these condo complexes require no services. No snow plowing, no road maintenance and only a handful of children in the school system. Police and fire services is minimal. Town-provided sewer service is the only significant impact on town services, and places like Stone Harbour on Thames Street are mostly second homes, which mitigates the actual cost to provide this service. These condo complexes are tax cash cows, which significantly lessen the load on the rest of the taxpayers in the town, who own homes, businesses, and vehicles.

Bristol has been and is a well-managed town. An efficient and highly acclaimed Police Department, the Highway Department, Sewer Department and more have excellent leadership and financial management processes and procedures, with good financial direction from the Finance Department.

Another oft forgotten fact that taxpayers should remember when they pay their tax bill is the Bristol Fire Department is a volunteer department! The men and woman who belong now and through the years to this high caliber fire protection unit have saved taxpayers millions upon millions of dollars, which is compounded year after year since it was formed around 1840. We should thank them for their volunteer service every time we see them on the streets, in the store and about town. Not just for the money they save all of us taxpayers, but for the lives they protect and save as part of the service they provide.

No one likes to pay high property taxes. But remember when you pay yours, it could have been and could be much higher, if not for the local government planning decisions and volunteers of the Bristol Fire Department!

Doug Gablinske
Pokanoket Trail
Bristol