Upon reading the recent article “Sussex council weighs two-tier property tax,” I was quite dismayed by the blatant disrespect for the out-of-staters who play such a large role in supporting the economy of this area. After all, this is a tourist area.
Councilman Matt Lloyd believes it’s fair for property owners who are not permanent residents to pay more in property taxes to support public services. Why? How is that equitable when we actually use these services less than full-time residents? For people renting out their property, especially short-term rentals, that may be different, but isn’t that what rental taxes are for? I have no problem paying my fair share, but property taxes should be based on the value of the property, nothing else.
My husband and I have owned a home in the greater Rehoboth Beach area since 2019. Our time is split approximately 50-50 year round between Delaware and Pennsylvania. We do not rent out our property when we are not here. If our house is empty 50% of the time, then we’re putting less of a strain on roads, emergency services, healthcare, etc., not more. We don’t use the schools, so you can’t say we’re putting a strain on your school system.
When we are here, we support the local economy by patronizing stores, restaurants, etc. Furthermore, we have always made regular contributions to local ambulance, fire and police services in both Delaware and Pennsylvania.
Yes, there is a definite housing crisis in Sussex County, but that’s not our fault. County government continues to approve 800-unit developments that will certainly be out of the price range of much of the local workforce. Instead of approving more and more of that kind of housing, maybe they should look into incentives for developers to build truly affordable workforce housing. It seems to me that if that’s what’s needed, then that’s where your priorities should be in approving new development.
Finally, I found some of Lloyd’s comments to be very disrespectful and inappropriate for an elected official.
“We have vacant houses sitting here and we have a housing crisis, yet they come down here at their leisure and use our roads, our fire and EMS, our police, public safety ...” “I say make them pay for some of this stuff.”
Instead of looking for scapegoats, maybe you should look for real solutions.
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.
