To the editor:

I was happy to see the article in the July 12 edition of the Barrington Times describing the discussion within the town council about how to deal with property tax increases. I had submitted a letter on the very topic that week. After reading the article, I have a few more thoughts I would like to express.

Property taxes will be increasing because of the need to replace the middle school. As I wrote last week, I believe that none of us want to see anyone forced to leave Barrington solely because they cannot afford to pay their property taxes. This fear was the argument put forward by many of the people who opposed the bond and budget.

First, I do not support property tax relief based on age. Many seniors are lucky enough to have very comfortable incomes. Those who can afford to pay their taxes should do so. (I started to add "without complaining," but I realize that would be asking too much from some folks. *wink*) I do support helping people who need it regardless of their age. I think the relief should be available to all whose income is below a certain level. Bad things can happen to any of us (catastrophes like losing a job or a spouse, or having a horrible accident or illness) and we should be there for each other. 

Second, I don't support property tax relief based on the length of time one has lived in Barrington. Why should tenure matter? We are all equally citizens. The argument that one has paid taxes here for a certain number of years and has therefore paid their "fair share" is silly and offends me. Our share is never paid off. We have to pay it every year. If a person didn't pay taxes here in years past, you can bet they've paid them somewhere else. The same thing goes for the notion that there's something wrong with a person who wants to live here while their kids are in school and then move away. Someone else will buy their house and pay the property taxes on it. No one is being cheated.

There may be discussion that a person should have lived here a certain time to qualify for property tax relief. What's the concern here? I'm not worried that people from other towns are going to flood Barrington because of our property tax structure and somehow take advantage of us. How is a person with a low income supposed to qualify for a mortgage of the size one needs to buy a house in Barrington?

Finally, it seems to me that a reduced tax rate for qualifying homeowners would be more fair than a dollar amount of relief. Then the relief is scaled to the value of the home. Presumably, the folks who have been opposed to this necessary increase in taxes agree that the tax rate in place in 2016, while perhaps higher than they might wish, was appropriate. I repeat my suggestion that we use that rate for the people we need to help.

Tim Mize

Barrington