Laura Bernard

I have been a volunteer on our Conservation Commission for over 15 years and know first hand how current use allows landowners to keep large parcels of land without the burden of non-current use taxation. Many of our residents are land rich and cash poor. Without the tax breaks afforded though the Current Use program, their land would end up being sold off to cover taxes and in most cases would be scooped up by a developer to build as many homes as possible. This means that the current taxpayers often end up with higher taxes because the new home owners add to the burden with more children in the school system, more work for Town Departments (road maintenance, fire/ambulance services, police services, etc...). Additionally, many of our most precious wetlands, river frontage and forestland will be lost without the current use protections and the clean water and clean air that make our community a healthy place to live will be at risk. The Land Use Change Tax revenue comes to the Conservation Commission and our Open Space sub committee so that we can continue to protect open space land, especially lands which play a major role in keeping our water supplies clean and healthy. For a Town without public water, our mission to protect our water shed is something we take very seriously.