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Main employers benefit town as well as village

Posted 9/6/11

To the Editor: The main economic engines, and employers, in the Potsdam area (village and town) are the colleges and the hospital. They pay no taxes, but their location in the village requires some …

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Main employers benefit town as well as village

Posted

To the Editor:

The main economic engines, and employers, in the Potsdam area (village and town) are the colleges and the hospital.

They pay no taxes, but their location in the village requires some considerable public expense - for roads, police, fire protection, etc.

Currently village residents foot the lion’s share of this cost.

The village tax rate is more than five times the rate outside the village; and this does not include water, sewer, and trash, which are charged in addition to taxes.

Many town residents happily enjoy direct or indirect benefits from these large non-taxpaying institutions in the village.

Just imagine our local economy without them if you doubt this fact.

Either the town should recognize this as a problem, and take on some of the tax burden; or let the village dissolve and force a more equitable alignment of the tax rates.

David Trithart, Potsdam