Dear Editor:
I need to clarify a rumor – or two:
There is a rumor going around that I don’t support PDR. That is a false rumor. In August, 2005, I made the motion to adopt the PDR Ordinance for Dexter Township. That Ordinance clearly supports PDR and sets the parameters for purchasing development rights. That ordinance was adopted on a 4-2 vote (one Trustee was absent).
Interestingly, the two who voted AGAINST the PDR ordinance, were the two members of the Township Board who owned large tracts of farmland – Carl Lesser and Julie Knight. In case you don’t know, Julie Knight, former Township Treasurer, is co-owner of what is now known as the “Doletzky” property – the very one that Guenther Building Company is purchasing and is developing into an Open Space Community that could have as many as 44 houses on the parcel. (Fortunately, the Zoning Ordinance has provisions to minimize the impact that development would have on our “rural character”.)
In a comment that is on the record, Trustee Carl Lesser said that all but a couple owners of large tracts of land were AGAINST the PDR Ordinance, even though the ordinance wouldn’t require anyone to get into the program – participation is strictly voluntary.
The Township PDR ordinance allows for contributions to the program, but in the 15 years the program has been in place, only a few citizens have written checks and the total received by the Township for PDR is around $2,000 – not anywhere near enough to purchase any development rights. I don’t believe ANY of those who are running on a platform of “preserving the land” have contributed to the program, but they want to TAX everyone in the Township for the program.
On the whole, the residents and property owners in Dexter Township enjoy a higher-than-average family income. There are more than 100 owners of property in Dexter Township who could easily write a check to the PDR program for $1,000 every year without missing a dime of it. There are more than 1,000 property owners who could write a check to the program every year for $100, again, without missing a dime of it. Those contributions would bring in more than the proposed 1/2 mil that the slate of Democrat challengers wish to impose on every Dexter Township property owner.
However, there are well more than 100 property owners who can’t afford the hit of another tax. Every year I hear from folks who say they have to move out of the area because property taxes are too high. Many have to choose between buying groceries and paying property tax twice each year. Unfortunately, the voters in urban Washtenaw County never met a tax they didn’t like, such as the tax for Regional Transit that would not have benefited Dexter Township, but we would have paid for it for many years. Only the common sense of Macomb County voters spared us that tax.
You may write a large check to Dexter Township for your property tax, but the vast majority of that tax is distributed to other taxing entities, such as Washtenaw County and the schools. Very little stays with Dexter Township. The current Board has done an amazing job of keeping your Township taxes low and have provided the best use of your tax dollars to support essential services.
So, while I do support the ability to offer PDR to those who want it, I don’t support the idea of taxing people out of their homes to pay for it, when there are so many folks who could contribute WITHOUT A TAX, but choose not to. I would even support a tax, if the tax money collected couldn’t exceed the amount of private contributions the prior year. That would give some incentive for the program to be paid for by those who could easily afford it.
But it would just be a half of a mil. That won’t hurt anyone. Yes, it will hurt many of the lower income folks in Dexter Township. And there is no legal way to exclude any property owner from a portion of a specific tax. So, my reluctance to support a Township-wide tax for PDR is my commitment to protect ALL property owners and to keep our taxes as low as possible to enable us to provide essential services to everyone.
Finally, for those who may not know it, Barry Lonik may be one of the main folks pushing for a PDR tax. Two years ago, Barry, on a Facebook post, said he would work to get a slate of people to run against the current Board. Folks should know that Barry derives his income from managing development rights programs. That’s right, Barry potentially stands to gain financially from a PDR tax. So, one needs to look at special interest support for the slate of challenging candidates.
More information at www.harleybrider.net.
Harley Rider
Dexter Township
