Street Lights and Condominiums

I, along with all other Vernon candidates for elected office, have been asked by the Vernon Condominium Owners Association to answer the following questions:

1. Would you vote to establish an agreement that provides for direct billing by the utilities to the Town of Vernon for fees related to condominium located hydrant and street lights similar to the arrangements established for public streets?
2. Would you vote to establish an ordinance which firmly creates a policy in the Town of Vernon to reimburse condominium associations for the utility costs of hydrants and street lights the same as on public streets?

My answer to both questions is no.  Vernon should not have a policy of paying for utilities on private property.  We simply can’t afford it.  In fact, you would be hard-pressed to find many communities in the Country that make a practice of paying for utilities located on private property. 

If we were to adopt such a policy, it would be difficult to justify not paying for utilities on other privately-owned properties such as The Villa Apartments, or even Tri-City Plaza.  I don’t believe there are many residents who are prepared to accept that additional burden to their tax bill.  Nor should they.

I can understand the concern of some residents that they are not receiving their fair share from the taxes they pay.  I ask that they consider this:

The taxes we pay represent our share of the total costs to operate our Town government, not the costs for only those services that each household uses.  Can you imagine the administrative costs associated with identifying the specific services used by each household from year to year, and then determining the value of each so that all the annual costs of the Town are covered?

The fact is, we all have an equal stake in our Town, and our tax structure reflects this in a way that is equitable to everyone.  I doubt that there are many communities that are set up differently.

To the Vernon Condominium Owners Association, I understand that you are not satisfied with this answer.  But although there are some things we can’t do, there may be things we can do.  I ask that we keep the lines of communication open, so that a healthy dialogue may continue.