Meredith Colony Club prop taxes

[fatlazyless]

"Meredith & Colony Club Reach Deal on Taxes" today's November 15, 2013, Laconia Daily Sun

With an assessed value of $13,145,500 it looks like the 5-selectmen and the Colony Club have made an agreement that allows the Colony Club to not pay any of the state or town school related taxes which is a huge amount.

If you are a property tax payer with no kids in the local schools, do you get a free pass on the school taxes.......well......the Colony Club just got a five year school freebie pass.

So, guess who ends up paying more for the schools?

Based on the town rate of 4.55, and the county rate of 1.51, the Colony Club will pay $79,661.73 for each of the next five years as a payment in lieu of taxes.

Both sides apparently decided to make this agreement as opposed to more continued litigation in the state courts.......which basically means that the lawyers from both sides got together and came up with this deal....not a good deal for the individual Meredith property tax payer like me who gets to pays for everything .....


Never settle for less!

[WakeboardMom]

"I've never had a fire, so I don't want to pay the portion of my taxes that goes to the fire department. If I do have a fire, just let my house burn down...I'll rebuild using the money I didn't pay in taxes." (Being facetious here, I know there's a lot more to allowing my house to burn...neighbors' homes safety, etc.)

I don't quite understand the logic here. Would it be possible for someone to explain? Seems like if all over-55 housing colonies in the state did this, we'd be in big trouble.


I am sure that I'm missing some key piece of information. Is there a link to something more in depth than the link in the post above?

[HellRaZoR004]

This seems to be coming up more lately. I recall seeing something in the news about a 55+ community in Nashua arguing against paying taxes that go towards the school system since kids are unlikely to live in the community.

The problem I see is they may not have any kids in the school system but if the school system fails you'll definitely see a drop in value of your property. Which would you prefer?

[chipj29]

I think this sets a bad precedent.

[codeman671]

I can understand and sympathize with the concept. We send 3 kids to private catholic schools in the seacoast which costs us a lot per year, yet we still have to pay our property taxes, most of which goes to a school system we do not use. Same thing in Gilford, we have an island home and do not use Gilford schools but we pay just the same as anyone else.

It sucks and a better solution needs to be found.

[sluggo]

All I can say is WOW ! Now my taxes will go up to cover what they don't pay and when that happens the businesses in the area will raise there costs to make up for their tax increases. Another perfect example of the full time resident taking it right up the #$% to keep the summer people happy ....

[Pineedles]

Originally Posted by sluggo

All I can say is WOW ! Now my taxes will go up to cover what they don't pay and when that happens the businesses in the area will raise there costs to make up for their tax increases. Another perfect example of the full time resident taking it right up the #$% to keep the summer people happy ....

Although I am in Moultonborough not Meredith and not affected by this "deal", it does set bad precedent. However, summer home owners will also be affected in bearing more of the burden, not just full time resident owners.

[Happy Gourmand]

Originally Posted by sluggo

All I can say is WOW ! Now my taxes will go up to cover what they don't pay and when that happens the businesses in the area will raise there costs to make up for there tax increases. Another perfect example of the full time resident taking it right up the #$% to keep the summer people happy ....

I always it was kind of the other way around. Curious as to how you feel the full time residents are getting it stuck to them by the part time residents.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by sluggo

All I can say is WOW ! Now my taxes will go up to cover what they don't pay and when that happens the businesses in the area will raise there costs to make up for their tax increases. Another perfect example of the full time resident taking it right up the #$% to keep the summer people happy ....

I pay full taxes in Nashua just like I pay full taxes in Meredith

[sluggo]

Its just my opinion , I don't mean to spout off but the prices on everything just keep going up and up and no one is going to give me a break on any of my bills. As the saying goes it is what it is......

[Lakegeezer]

Originally Posted by HellRaZoR004

This seems to be coming up more lately. I recall seeing something in the news about a 55+ community in Nashua arguing against paying taxes that go towards the school system since kids are unlikely to live in the community.

In the Nashua case, I believe it was the impact fees they were trying to avoid, not the yearly taxes. I can see the logic to their argument. As a 55+ development, they don't put additional kids in the school, so there is little impact. However, yearly school tax is everyone's obligation. It is how NH funds the schools.

[HellRaZoR004]

Originally Posted by Lakegeezer

In the Nashua case, I believe it was the impact fees they were trying to avoid, not the yearly taxes. I can see the logic to their argument. As a 55+ development, they don't put additional kids in the school, so there is little impact. However, yearly school tax is everyone's obligation. It is how NH funds the schools.

I stand corrected - thank you. In that case it certainly makes sense.

[Steveo]

Originally Posted by sluggo

All I can say is WOW ! Now my taxes will go up to cover what they don't pay and when that happens the businesses in the area will raise there costs to make up for their tax increases. Another perfect example of the full time resident taking it right up the #$% to keep the summer people happy ....

WHAT!!!

As a "summer person" I don't use the schools, or many of the town services. I don't get my credit for being a veteran off my property taxes because I'm not a "resident". I don't get resident rate for Gunstock, or fishing and hunting licenses. I live on private (dirt) road so town doesn't plow my road; only get fire protection because neighbor is asst chief. I have minimum impact on infrastructure since I'm only here about 60 days a year. Should I go on...

But I pay full taxes!!!

I have never complained about how the system works, I'm lucky to have a place on this beautiful lake but I will not be insulted by the complete fallacy that I am somehow "shoving it up the #$% of full time residents"

COME ON!

[AmantiDelLago]

So how are "full time residents" taking it up the #$% so that the "summer residents" get what they want? In this case wouldn't the potential be that all property taxes would increase?

[Lakepilot]

I think the issue maybe that MBCC is a non-profit organization and as such don't have to pay any taxes. Like others before them, they have agreed to pay something in lieu of taxes. But if they pushed it to the wall they owe nothing.

In Wolfeboro we have a Huggins Hospital and Brewster Academy which are non-profits. They bring a lot of income to the town in terms of salaries. Do we want to see that go away?

[Lakeboater]

I would also imagine that private schools like Brewster Academy have faculty living in Academy owned houses with children that go to the town schools with out contributing to the tax base.

[ITD]

This is a problem as taxes get more and more confiscatory. A golf course in NH needs to make it's money in 4 or 5 months out of the year. That tax bill is a huge chunk of the profit, if a profit even exists. The 13.5 million valuation is probably mostly for the land. When it's a golf course the costs to the town are much lower than when the course goes out of business from the tax load and gets split into 100 lots, each bring 2 or so kids who must be educated for 13 years each.

[wifi]

Each year we spend more and more to educate less children, we should start cutting the fat in school budgets. I've worked my entire life without the protection of a union, get rid of those and bring salaries and pensions back in line with a private sector person working 9 months a year. Get rid of those special classes that aren't back to the basic three R's (reading, righting and rithmatic ). For the money we spend, we should be better than this.

If course, this will never happen, so we have no one to blame but ourselves for allowing these school budgets to run away with themselves and it will just get worse.

[tis]

THat is the one thing Brewster does pay taxes on is the apartments that are lived in. They pay very little in taxes considering all the property that they own and what would be paid if it were all privately owned.

You are right wifi, we spend a fortune on education now, compare that amount to when we were in school and all they do is complain about how they need more. Yet do you think the kids really learn any more or any better than when we were in school? I don't. I can see this getting political so I won't say any more.

[sluggo]

Well everyone I didn't mean to put a finger in anyone's eye so for that I am sorry. I felt compelled to spout off because every time I turn around someone is looking for something for nothing without really wanting to earn it or saying they have a right to it. I should have never used the term summer people since we all do live here weather its for a few weeks or year round. I guess if I was lucky enough to own a second home I would do the same thing to help keep my costs in check. I fear that since this state is going more liberal each year that the tax codes will change where we will have an income and sales tax before long because of the burden of taxes alone on the home owner and in my eyes giving tax breaks to individuals or organizations push us all closer to that reality........

[upthesaukee]

The idea of PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) to me is disgraceful. Their property is worth X amount of dollars, but they do not want to pay what the tax rate dictates, so they bargain with the municipality and come up with a price that suits them and the municipality. Of course, we cannot do that, not that it would matter in my personal case.

But using this original post info as a basis, their assessed value is $13,144,500. If they were in Alton, their tax rate would be $13.44 per thousand, for a tax of $176,662.

Using Bob Bahre, who I believe is Alton's largest taxpayer, property that is in his name only, not with others, not his son Gary's property, and not the commercial property where Hannaford is, that property totals $13,727,800. At the new rate of $13.44 per thousand, Mr. Bahre's tax burden on these properties is about $184,500.

Perhaps our state legislators need to take a better look at the PILOT program. Having an assessed value of over $13 million, and only paying just over $15K per year is just plain wrong.

[fatlazyless]

$79,661.73 per each year, for each of the next five years, is what the Meredith Bay Colony Club will be paying and not just 15,000./year.

The Golden View nursing home and rehab which is located maybe 1/2 mile from the Meredith Bay Colony Club, and owned by the same owners as Meredith Bay Colony Club also has a similar payment in lieu of tax agreement with the Town of Meredith, so the Golden View basically pays for the town rate and county rate but is exempt from the town school and state school rates.

It seems to me that a nursing home and a rehab is much more like a medical facility than a age "+55 living" apartment building that includes an indoor swimming pool. Could well be that the exemption is appropriate for Golden View as a nursing home and rehab, but seems questionable for the Meredith Bay Colony Club.

Will try to post the article from the Nov 15, 2013, Laconia Daily Sun.

Also, Bea Lewis writing in the Laconia Citizen has been reporting about the on-going litigation between the Town of Meredith and the Meredith Bay Colony Club concerning their property taxes over the last couple of months.

[upthesaukee]

You're right Les, it is $79K each year, but still a far cry from what they should be paying.

[ITD]

$80,000 a year, how many rounds of golf is that? No wonder businesses move overseas.....

[TiltonBB]

If you want to talk about taxes on people who use very little in the way of services think about yacht clubs. Take Mountain View Yacht Club for example. 284 slips, individually owned, paying over $400,000 in taxes to the town of Gilford for what? The tax paying owners are not even allowed to use the Gilford Town Beach.

[Sandy Island fan]

I, for one, feel it is the responsibility of the entire community to support the education of the children. Think of it this way - as we age, do you want the nurses and doctors providing medical care to have a good education under their belts? Do you want the EMT's responding when you have a heart attack to have a good education?
Even if you don't have children in the local school, you benefit from the education provided in those schools.

[Chaselady]

Originally Posted by Sandy Island fan

I, for one, feel it is the responsibility of the entire community to support the education of the children. Think of it this way - as we age, do you want the nurses and doctors providing medical care to have a good education under their belts? Do you want the EMT's responding when you have a heart attack to have a good education?
Even if you don't have children in the local school, you benefit from the education provided in those schools.

I tend to agree. Aren't property values helped by high quality school systems?