I am a past member and founder of the Vernon Taxpayers Association and have advocated against the formation of an MUA, Town Center plan and inflated property tax revaluations etc.. Currently there are three candidates for Vernon Mayor and of these three I urge you to vote for Mrs. Murphy. She is the only candidate that has actually asked how much an expansion of the Vernon MUA would cost. That MUA expansion would cost over $45 million ( principal plus interest ) which would lead to annual sewer bills in the residential expansion area of $3,000 to$ 4,000. This expense will lead to hollowing out those residential areas and a depreciation of residential property valuations for the rest of the tax base.
She has also put the first new property tax increase proposal ( Recreation Tax) to the voters, which has not been done in 20 years. In those 20 years the town politicians paid or guaranteed payment of over $70 million for the town center, all without voter input. Town Center was projected to be fully built out and completed by 2010 and this has not occurred. I believe and have advocated that the taxpayer should be voting on all annual debt bonding over $500,000.
Mr. Burrell ,as a Freeholder voted to pay more than $2 million above the county's own two appraised valuations for the County Administration Building ( Cochran Building). The town's future financial problems will impact the taxpayer, so we need someone who will be thrifty with our tax dollars.
Thomas McClachrie
Vernon