$25.53
This is your new tax rate Derry. I just received word that the new tax rate is now official and its time to take a look how this will affect you this December tax bill.
I'm told the Avg home that was valued at $300,000 in 2007 is now $267,000. and that with the new values that just came out a few weeks back you will need to do some simple math to see how much more you will pay.
The Average homeowner will go up in taxes by 3.3% over last year. However if you want to see how it will affect you personally you will need to do a little research.
Here is the breakdown of what makes up that $25.53 amount.
Town side services ONLY! $8.81/1000 of value
School side $13.19/1000 of value
State $2.54/1000 of value
County $0.99/1000 of value
And there you have it!
I'm also told that the town lost 10.8% of value from the previous year.
For those of you that thought when values went down that taxes would go down well...
Not so.
To find your homes value go to www.derry.nh.us (towns website) and below you will see new valuations link. This takes you to Vision Appraisal web page. Click on NH and then Derry. Put in the correct criteria and you will see what your home is worth to the town.
Your thoughts are appreciated!!!
The opinions expressed are of my own individualy and are not to be interpreted as official of any governing body. Comments from readers are also of their own opinions and will be edited only if the content is harmful or non constructive to any individual. It is important to share information and thoughts on political process so that we may discuss issues that effect us all.
45 comments:
Brian, what does the counter on your main page mean?
It's the time for the next local election in March
As with all of these re-valuations - the taxpayer once again gets the short end of it.
A quick calculation shows that most people in town will see an increase of $100 to $200 in their tax bill as compared to last year. Lower house values by x then up the tax rate by x+y to make up more revenue.
The town leadership and Economic Development Director need to work harder at getting some business in town to offset the burden on residents.
I also encourage the town leaders to demand that a more thorough and realistic valuation of existing rental apartment complexes be done. It still apppears that these properties are not paying their share. This is a big problem in a town like Derry where there are so many people living in apartments (in many cases more than the apartments were designed for - 3 generations sometimes in 1 apartment!!!)and using town services but not "paying their share" of the tax burden.
Renters don't pay taxes - so we must make sure that the property owners of these complexes (who are charging market rate rents) are paying their fair share and not pocketing money that should be going to the tax base!!
I saw in Nutfield News yesterday that the town is looking for people to serve on a new Master Plan committee. Reworking - AND actually following what the Master Plan calls for is the first step to helping turn our community around.
As a community we need to think seriously about what we want Derry to be in 10 or 20 years - and then we must "plan the work and work the plan"!!! This is a crucial time for Derry and strong leadership is going to be needed to make the tough decisions for the "long run". This town is being run with such shortsightedness now that the town will be in really tough shape in 10 years.
Allowing all of these spot zoned apartment buildings, car lots, pizza joints etc. is doing nothing for the long term future of our town. I hope the leaders and citizens wake up soon.
There is a lot of positive stuff here in Derry that could make this place very desirable to companies and families interested in a nice community with lots to offer - but it is going to take leaders with vision and the guts to make some unpopular decisions to get us there.
My taxes will be almost exactly the same.
They were higher about 10 years ago. I always let the tax assessor in when they come by and they usually find something to trim from my assessment.
For example one year they subtracted the square footage from my second floor and basement stair wells. They said it was included in my total square footage.
This dropped my assessment by $1000.
BTW 10:35. Some of us do not want growth in this town. It was a small town with 9,000 people not to long ago. The 9,000 wanted it this way then Exit 4 opened and dumped city people looking for a cheap place to live. They brought their city ideas with them.
This is why we have this mess now.
Is it too late to back and give the fireifhgters more $$ ?
that tax rate is ok, I am actually happy !
Keep up the good work.....and the countdown !
Anonymous 10:35
I'm sure the town leadership(the t.a.) and Economic Development director (Ms Tompson)will be happy to start working a bit harder....but you've got to understand one thing.... they've got to be in town to do that!! Ms Tompson does not live in town, and the t.a. has a mailing address here, just to cover his requirements.How effective can you expect them to be?
My taxes are going up by 400.00 to around 8500.00 a year. I can buy a house and pay the property taxes with that in most states.
I think it's time to move back to MA, it's where I came from and work, it's cheaper and they provide more services.
It's been nice but there is going to be no end to this with the TIF
etc..... Good luck to you all......
Oh ya I'm going to need alot of luck dumping my house because the last time I check no one was buying here most are trying to get out.
I guess I can burn it down if need be , it would give our over paid fire department something to do.
1:43,
If you did that, you would be moving to jail not back to Mass.
anon 7:23,
Most people work jobs outside of where they live. It's the paycheck that one earns to do a job right. If they don't- then something needs to be done...
Poor derry tax payer.
Growth happened too quickly for Derry without proper planning. The begining of the downfall was that the White Farm was not purchased for $110,000. This was the start of major problems for Derry.
BC 8:41am...I realize many people do work outside of their communities, but in our case don't you think we'd get more 'bang for our buck' if our t.a. and Economic Deverloper spent a bit more time concentrating on Derry,or at least working a 5 days week here!I haven't seen or heard of anything Ms T has accomplished on her own as of yet, other than the photos in the newspapers. Even that's confusing, becasue where you see her you see Jack Dowd.Did she have any part in these businesses or did Jack? If she didn't she's filling the role as a Chamber of Commerce/Welcome Wagon representative. $90k+ a year seems to be 'her' payback not ours...
thank you for your response.
At the end of the day we do need to look at the results of our dept heads. We do need to hold people accountable especially in tight times...
BC
I bet I would have no problem burning down my house and getting away with it.
The polce and fire department would have no clue.
My insurance co. might be a problem but because I don't have a mortgage and don't need the money there is no motive so I think I would be ok.
It's tough to find and solve an arson case when it's an electrical fires.
You have a nice town but it's dead, dead, dead....
I firmly believe our department heads are doing a good job.I watched last Tuesday's T.C. Meeting and both Mike Fowler and Tom Carraher were very imformative and professional. We hired the Economic Dir. because we needed help bringing more businesses into Derry and working closer with the businesses already here,(so we were told) hence to help lower taxes.I do appreciate you taking the time to listen to my concern. I'll be watching during the next budget sessions.Thank you Brian
NO bc......hold them accountable ALL of the time. This type attitude you just displayed is precisely what allowed the fire contract and others get so out of whack with the work required in such a sleepy little town. What a laughingstock we are as community. All across America municipalities are cutting and we are adding?
By the way, equal treatment under the law means same standard holds true for all and must be demanded by council members. That said why is it that Benson's has not followed the letter of the law with the town property encroachment and yet the hot dog vendor gets tossed in jail? Better yet, why has this hardware store not yet been ORDERED by the town administrator via the town council to move the fence that by all accounts is on town land?
Liability potentials are enormous given the fork-lifts and trucks that come in and out all day. An accident could easily occur along the fence which would by definition be on town property. So bc, do the right thing and speak up.
BC,
I’ll give you credit, you’ve become very adept at speaking out of both sides of your mouth! You say:
“At the end of the day we do need to look at the results of our dept heads. We do need to hold people accountable especially in tight times...”
Explain why nothing (that’s NOTHING) has been done about the mess at the Police Department. We’re you even aware of the Lawsuit against the Chief and his staff that was heard last week. Wait until the town receives that bill!
It would be nice if someone would actually pay attention to the school funding. The council seems to just ignore that portion of our tax bill. Why don't our elected officials try to lower the most expensive part of the $25.53! I know mentioning school funding will get you branded as a child hater, but somebody has to have the courage and step up.
BTW, two years ago my taxes were close to $12,000 / year. After an abatement they went down slightly by about $700. Now they reassessed my property to a value I couldn't possibly get on the open market and like magic I'm back up to $12K a year. If I could sell my house and get out of this town I would do it tomorrow. After 19 years I've just simply had enough. Thanks to the market it looks like I'll be a prisoner of Derry for at least a few more years. "Oh but we don't have enough services like they do in Massachusetts." Why did these people move here? The states turning BLUE and now the residents like it's neighbor to the south will be singing the blues. No more NH advantage, now we're just MINI-ME(MA).
I hope when I climb that fence I don't accidentally slip and break an arm...If the sausage guy has $2 million coverage, I can only imagine how much I could get from the Town!
I bet the sausage guy could get a lot of business operating on the back side of the Bensons' fence. They seem to have a large number of customers. After all, it is TOWN PROPERTY.
anon 10;05, The town council does not control the school portion of taxes. That is done by the people every year at the school dist meetings.
you can not sell a house in this town
ive dropped price 3 times cant even
get anyone in to look at it. The only reason to move in this rotten town is
"The great Schools" thats what i was
told 15 years ago
anon 7:43,
Houses are selling in this market. Maybe you need to find a good realtor...
anon 12:45,
And why would you be climbing that fence in the first place.. Lets get real. It hasn't been an issue until a few select councilors wanted that 125K road with the bike path that swings right into the middle of the road.
It wasn't an issue before the road was done was it???????
BC,
The Benson fence wasn't an issue before because no one knew about it (except Benson himself). How arrogant to believe he can do what ever he feels like. Why was this not brought to the public's attention when the fence was first erected? Why didn’t the Town demand the fence be relocated when it first became aware it was on town property? BENSON IS NOT ABOVE THE LAW. Or did some good ol boy Town Council approve the fence being placed on town property? Is it all right for me to build on town property? The laws should be applied equally to ALL residents.
Anon 8:33,
Ok so it should be applied equally to all residents-so do we go through out town and find every and all incroachments throughout town. If you say yes, then we do we get the money to do all the research? Mr Benson stated that he would move the fence if told to do so as long as he is treated like everyone else.. meaning everyone else with encroachments need to be told to get off town property. We heard from Mike fowler it was a non issue.
To the bozo who thinks he can get away with burning his own house down. Best of luck to you! The jails are full of people just like you. Spare the house and torch yourself!
I'll pay my 3.3% additional this year thank you. Derry is a great place to live. Period. I moved here from MA just over 6 years ago. I'll NEVER move back. Would I like my taxes to be lower? Certainly. Do we need more development to help us out? Certainly. Are we getting everything we pay for? Absolutely. Town services in Derry earn everything they get. You vote in the councilors and the school budget. Always get what you want? Nope. Majority rules. That's the way it works.
You don't like how much you pay in taxes? Get out and make your voice heard. Vote for who you feel represents your interests. Look at the numbers. The school budget KILLS you every year. It's also open for vote every year. VOTE IT DOWN. Tell everyone you know and make a valid argument as to why you should VOTE IT DOWN. Stand out in front of the polls with a sign to VOTE IT DOWN. Make your voice heard. If, for whatever reason, you don't want to do that, can't do that, or simply can't be bothered, than you have NOTHING to complain about. Do what you like and move back to MA if that is what is going to make you happy.
Oh, by the way, you did see the first selection on the MA ballot right? The one to vote DOWN the state income tax? If that one passes than you'll be begging to get back to NH I can guarantee!
Regardless, you have to do what makes you happy. If you don't agree with things the way they are and are unhappy, either try and fix it or make changes in your life that make you happy.
I will say this though. I don't believe you REALLY would try and burn down your house. That would just be foolish. Arson is a very difficult thing to prove even when you can find AND establush evidence. But in your case, even our esteemed "Hope to be County Prosecutor" (Yeah right) would have an open and shut case. Your IP address is almost certainly logged in Google's database and they WILL turn that information over to authorities in a criminal investigation. Your WAN IP that is logged with your provider is the IP that will appear in Google's database and it's only a court order away for Google and your ISP to turn over that info. It's just like on Cops... "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law..."
That includes anything you *think* might only be anonymous online. Nothing online is anonymous. BC might not be able to access that info, but I'll guarantee that DFD and DPD would CERTAINLY be able to get it.
So, in closing, don't burn down your house. That would just be silly of you.
Well said 12:oo!!
12:00
If it is easy to change something we do not like then why didn't you stay in MA and change it?
You say you will gladly pay 3% increase, well you have been here 6 years. Wait until you pay a 3% increase each year for 30 years and see how you feel about it.
I know, I know, you won't hang around that long.
Probably you will move to New Hampton after your kids get their education in Derry with all the extras you voted in while they were in school and leave the tab for us. .
Furthermore the poster that said he will burn his house was obviously just jesting. if he meant it I am sure it would not be posted to a blog. This does tell us you may be on the gullible side though. Maybe this is why you do not mind paying the 3%
Here's and idea that might solve some problems... Could Benson's sell the fence to the Town, for say $1?
So its alright for Benson to break the law as long as he only breaks it a little bit and someone decides its a "non-issue" So what other laws it is alright for Citizens to break a little bit? If this is OK for Benson there must be other "little" laws that we really don't need to follow because we think they're non-issues. It's called ETHICS Brian!! Have you ever heard that word??
First off 2:04, Show me the LAW that is being broken?? A little research or a back round in land planning would tell you that this is very common. The neighbor who puts up a fence because he thinks he knows where the boundry line is but after the abutter has it surveyed they found he "encroached". Do we arrest this person. Your wild accusations are why the Salem Witch trials happened. Please spare us the "holier than thou" statements too.
I happily pay my taxes. I believe we get great services here in Derry. Before you attack me 'poor taxpayer', I want you to know that I do not have any children. I have been content here for 18 years and plan on staying here longterm.
I would think Benson would move the fence back with no stipulation about everyone else in town needing to move their illegal fences.
I base this on the fact he is a businessman and a councilor and this will give him respect if nothing else.
I do think it is bad business and petty for him to require this be done by everyone else in this position.
It makes me not want to do business with his store.
bc no you don't arrest him. you move the fence. that should not be hard at all. if i found my neighbor encroached on my property i would want him to move whatever it was that was encroaching my property. it is the best and easiest way to make all feel better.
Whatever happened to the ethics code that the council was going to institute? BC, Benson is encroaching on property that he knows is the town's. Yes, it does happen all the time that you put up a fence, etc. thinking that you are on your own property, but Benson knows he is on town property. He said he would move the fence if asked, he was asked and now he wants a list of all property that encroaches onto town property. I'm tired of hearing him say as long as he is being treated the same as everyone else. Well, we know the sausage vendor isn't being treated the same as Benson, the sausage vendor got arrested, his vehicles towed, fined, etc. Benson needs to realize he is a town council, sorry, but we expect him to keep his word.
I'd be willing to wager that Benson would gladly move his fence if caught wind that the Town Administrator ordered the Public Works department to tear the fence down since it is on Town property... just a hunch.
Folks - this is just the latest "issue du-jour" to be raised that is a complete distraction to getting meaningful things accomplished in Derry!!
I don't think the greater population of Derry could give a rat's ass that Benson's fence is 8 inches over the line. What the hell do we gain as a town by him moving it?? - GO over there and look - it is not a problem and will not be useful land to the town even if it is moved!!! It sounds like the town had a hand in where the fence got placed to start with - let's remember this was an abandoned and run down railway area with old loading docks built to accomodate freight cars back then.
It did not impact the road or the bike path construction!!! This seems to be a smoke screen that is being brought up by one or two people with an axe to grind with the Bensons. It was originally raised by Al Dimmock and if you watch any town meeting - you will see that he is a crackpot who brings up all sorts of silly crap during meetings and "rails against the town leadership" constantly. How much time did we waste on "taking down Stop Signs that have been in place for 20 years and making roads safer" - another Al crusade.
Town meetings could be hours shorter and a lot more productive if this guy would shut up and sit down!
While I was all for the sausage guy before the meeting I can tell you he lost my support by the way he went off. My guess is any support he had on the Town Council is now gone too. Too bad he got suckered into someone else's personal fight.
There are literally hundreds of encroachments on town property all over town. Many people have cleared town owned land adjacent to their homes and some have built sheds, garages and other structures on town land.
Give it a break. The Benson family is not some evil empire. They do a lot for this town - supporting all manner of activities, nonprofits, Veterans Memorial, etc. etc.
Even Al Dimmock talks about supporting the downtown businesses - well Bensons is a downtown business!!
Al - please give it a rest!!!
Sausage guy - best thing you can do is go back to TC and apologize to Benson and the whole Council - then keep pushing your case. Most people in town likely support you in your quest to sell at the dump - like Benson's fence this should be a non-issue.
Gary Stenhouse - issue the Sausage guy a permit for a reasonable amount of money, set some regulations and send him back to the dump to make his money and feed the hungry folks going in and out of the dump.
Let's cut out this petty crap and focus on the bigger and much more important issues facing this town.
I for one will not shop at Benson's until the fence is moved. Look, he runs a small hardware store that needs to do whats right if they expect me to pay more for stuff than Home Depot charges.
The town council also needs to do whats right and make Benson move the fence.
I heard from a fireman that Stenhouse will not let any town vehicles stop and buy lunch from the hot dog guy. That sounds illegal. If Stenhouse keeps the inconsistency up Derry will get sued and we will all end up paying more.
3:09.....You sound like a very level headed person....would you care to consider running for a seat on the council next year? I think we need someone like yourself that can read threw all the smoke screens!!
Please?
Just another poor derry taxpayer...
I never said change was easy. Nothing worth doing ever is. My family and I decided to move up here to NH. Just so there is no confusion on your part, I left my "high cost city lifestyle" at the border. I pay more in taxes here than I did before, my house cost me about the same as I would have paid for something similar in MA, and I took a $35,000 pay cut to do it. So lest you assume that I'm "One of those people" who moved here and stole your little town away. Move on.
We'll talk about your "gullible" comment in a minute. Let's talk about a word that you seem to have a very slight grasp of. That word would be "reality". I will be here 30, 40, or however many years from now living in the same spot I am right now. And that time comes,guess what? I'll be paying more taxes than I am paying today. There will be more people in Derry than there are today. There will be more of "Those people" in the town (city???) of Derry than there are today. There will be more Police, Firefighters, Public Works, schoolchildren, homeless, and everything else a modern society deals with as it grows. We don't live in a vacuum, we live in the real world.
THAT'S the reality of the world we all live in. I'd love to distort time and be paying 75 cents for a gallon of gas for my truck but guess what? Not going to happen. That's reality. I'm going to pay, you're going to pay, BC is going to pay, and everyone else is going to pay their 3.3%. That's the reality. Like it or not. And if you don't like it you can re-read what I wrote in my earlier posting until you understand it. Don't sit idly by and stomp your feet because you don't agree or don't think it's fair. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. If that's too difficult, than there's really no solid ground for you to stand on.
As far as being "gullible" as you so wonderfully put it, let me sit down before I break a rib from laughing. If some people in society weren't so blatantly foolish and completely mindless, I'd be out of a job. Whether the poster meant what he said or not, I can assure you that IF his house burned down and IF the circumstances were questionable, what he wrote here would put him in a place where he would have a LOT of explaining to do. A place like that would cost a LOT of money and would potentially destroy his life.
You don't think people have gone to jail under the exact same circumstances mentioned here? Have any idea how many arsonists stay at or return to the scene to watch the fire? Do some research and then come back and explain to me how "gullible" I really am.
We all will be sharpening our pencils should we see the school finding cuts. Agreed the fence and sausage truck are non issues when school funding is a storm waiting to hit. PS. I stopped contributing to any group outside of the dump as its a liability issue GARY.
12:38
OK, now I understand gullible and how there are different levels of it.
I never saw this in action before.
This is what I now see:
To think one will think the same as they do now 30 or 40 yrs. later is truly the ultimate gullible.
The major of people that moved here 30 or 40 years ago now live in places like New Hampton, New London etc.
Yes they though the same as you do right now, but they changed when they realized did not need the resources they voted for the last 30 40 years.
Did our Economic Dev Director talk to the Lowes folks about the Walmart site??? Salem is getting $2 Million in Rte 28 improvements from new Lowes.
Derry needs to push for these types of infrastructure improvements with EVERY development approved!!! All of these new apartment complexes/ over50 developments, new businesses, etc. should be required to put in sidewalks, help pay for water and sewer connections, etc.
http://www.eagletribune.com/punewsnh/local_story_305014118.html
First off I know all about IP address etc.. and no I realy would not burn down my house.
Can someone tell me why most of the republicans up here act like liberal democrates and continue to give away the store like it's their store to give away?
I don't know who to vote for anymore and I'm not sure why I even bother.
I watch all the meeting and don't understand why the town council has no problem not voting on taken down a fence but did not do the same for the fire contract.
If my house burns down maybe I can build a little cabin on town property and not have to pay taxes for it like Benson.
Better not the town might put me in jail.
Have a good day everyone I know I will.
Poor Derry,
Is that so?...
"I do resent other's perspective being pushed on me the last 40 years.
I was content to live in a small town called Derry with a volunteer fire dept.
Once the interstate came by here, people from cities moved here because it was cheap to live here.
Little by little each year we get more city perspectives and "it only cost pennies per thousand valuation" sales pitch!!
Look at where Derry is at now. I didn't ask for this. we were minding our own business and others came here to reap the low cost life style we once had. They did not check their high cost life style at the interstate exit and accept this way of life.
My yearly house taxes were 2 weeks pay back then, now my whole monthly SS check goes to one months taxes.
No, I will not move out of this town to a rural area because the same thing will happen there too." - Just another poor derry taxpayer
I guess if you want to say I'm "gullible" for wanting to stay in this town that's fine. At least we all know now that you are absolutely well versed in it's meaning.
Anon 9:38. Excellent idea. I hope as we try to get some more development brought into this town that we take a good hard look at scenarios just like that.
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