If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Gloom
Kevin Clarke wrote:
I do not get this argument. I would like to understand it. But why is the little podunk airport important? 3B3 Sterling, Mass, offers very little to the local economy, if anything. KFIT, my home base, offers very little to the local economy, a couple of shops, a restaurant, a few commercial flights (Part 135) per week. Are they that big a deal? KC On the expense side to the argument you could say that the airport is keeping taxes down. It pays some taxes to the town and uses very little resources. That big flat area of land is probably very desirable a residential developer. I'm not sure how much land 3B3 sits on, but say they put 150 homes on 100 acres. If each home pays about $3,600/year in property taxes, and has on average one school age child, that development is a big money loser for the town since it costs Sterling $6,570 per year per student (publicschoolreview.com). New homes are often purchased by young families. Also, the costs for the town go way up if there's more than one child in the family while property taxes don't change. I see the Board of Education in Sterling wanted a 13.5% increase this year, and the Selectmen wanted to hold it down to _only_ 9.9%. Since Sterling now has about 1400 K-12 students (from city-data.com) Adding another 150 students would make that 9.9% increase budget go up to a 10.6% increase, assuming a linear increase and new facilities aren't needed. This is only the education numbers. There are all the other service needs residential development creates like road maintenance, police/fire protection, library, tax collector services, etc. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|