Sussex County Councilman Matt Lloyd’s reported comments make no sense.
The article states: “’... the question was asked, do we even have the ability to have a ... homesteader's credit? The answer, legally, we got is we don’t have it today. We would have to go to the General Assembly and get it.’ Lloyd said he believes it is fair for people who have permanent residency in other states to contribute more to support public services in Sussex County if they own property in this county. The fastest-growing county in the state by far in recent years, Sussex County is struggling with overwhelmed roads, schools, fire and emergency medical services and the healthcare system. ‘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,’ Lloyd said.”
What?
1. People who are here less often use our roads less often. They do not use our schools at all. They use our fire and emergency medical services less, and our healthcare system less. Therefore, they do not impose a greater burden, but rather a lesser burden, on our infrastructure and services than those who live here full time.
2. Our tax base, which pays the salaries of our service people and even the salary of Councilman Lloyd, is enhanced by out-of-state property owners who use our infrastructure and services less.
3. If approval of the General Assembly is needed for a two-tier system and our out-of-state owners cannot vote, that is a form of taxation without representation. Didn’t we fight the Revolutionary War to stop that?
As a full-time resident, I am not inclined (necessarily) to look a gift horse in the mouth. Though, the citizens of Troy might have saved themselves much anguish had they looked in the mouth of the gift from the Greeks. But the argument presented by Lloyd, making no sense, does not move the ball forward and may be problematic in the event of legal challenge.
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