One of the comments included in Kevin Cook's letter to the editor was the suggestion of having a check off box on the real estate tax bill allowing residents to choose to make a contribution to CPA (Community Preservation Act).
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Creativity is to be admired, but CPA is legislation passed by our elected representatives on Beacon Hill and fails to include that option. If Mr. Cook's intent is serious, maybe he should contact our delegation and petition for that change, but barring that, CPA is what it is.
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But taking the suggestion one step further, I have never had children in the Middleboro Public School system, but Mr. Cook has. Can't I have a check off box to opt out of contributing to public education? And I can think of others who have never used the schools. Why can't they have the same?
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Each real estate tax payer is paying for services not used.
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Middleboro has been blessed with a number of property purchases that Town Meeting voters agreed to protect and preserve with their tax dollars.
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Those purchases were mostly accomplished by borrowing which shortchanges other future needs. It's time to make a nominal contribution each week, less than the cost of a Dunkin' Donuts coffee to create a fund that will be matched from funds already being paid by Middleboro residents.
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Our failure as a Town to enact CPA when it was initially proposed caused those funds to be distributed to other Towns that have enacted CPA. It might be several million dollars we missed out on. That would have been money to fund the purchases approved by Town Meeting in 2008 that was accomplished by borrowing.
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We can't predict when the next significant purchase will become available, but we can be prepared for the inevitable.
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