To my fellow citizens:

There is a saying that goes "Nobody minds paying taxes, they just don't want to hear about it." If that is true for you, then probably you don't want to read on.

For years we have heard about tax reform out of Harrisburg, but it's hard for voters to get excited about a proposal that makes an obnoxious, already high tax (i.e., the property tax) just a little less high at the price of ratcheting up another obnoxious tax (the income tax) when the federal/state/local taxing of income is already at an uncomfortable level.

The larger, more fundamental problem is the property tax itself. This form of taxation was appropriate in America's 19th century agrarian society, but is out of place today.

In the 1800's, when there was no income tax and it was considered none of the government's business how much money anybody made, the property tax served as a proxy for income. This made a lot of sense then, because it was logical to assume that the person farming 80 acres of land had a higher income than one farming 40 acres.

Today, the homesteads of most Americans are not their source of income, but merely where they live. Why then, take more money from a person with a house of 1,500 square ft. than one with 900 sq. ft?

One of the elementary principles of prudent taxation is that, to avoid harming people, taxes should take into consideration the individual's ability to pay.

Today, one's ability to pay depends far more on one's income than on the size of one's house. To continue taxing people as if their house were generating their income is absurd.

An additional fault of the property tax is that it can jeopardize home ownership. On the surface, it appears that once a person has paid off the mortgage on his house, then he owns it free and clear. But this is not so. If the homeowner falls on hard times and can't pay his property taxes, the sheriff comes and confiscates his house.

Under the present system a person doesn't really "own" his home completely, but in effect rents it from the local government, which permits him to keep it only so long as the "owner" continues to pay taxes on it.

We have heard of senior citizens, wonderful, law-abiding people who worked hard for decades to buy their own homes, having to sell their home because they couldn't afford the taxes. This is abominable.

How many of America's homeless people became so because they fell on hard times and were evicted from their homes because they couldn't pay their property taxes?

In an era when it has been the federal government's policy to facilitate home ownership as a central feature of "The American Dream", it is anomalous for local governments to make it difficult for some people to keep their homes.

The property tax is outmoded, unfair, irrational, and destructive and it is time to abolish it.

Since April, 90 notices of correction have been sent to homeowners concerning violations of our property maintenance ordinance. It's amazing that so many homeowners don't care about how their property looks. They create eyesores for their neighborhood and the community. We try to keep our community neat and clean, but during the summer it is a never ending job. You can help us by reporting eyesores in your neighborhood.

Thank you,


Mayor Donald Baumgarten To my fellow citizens,

You may have read or heard criticisms of our decision to switch the borough's emergency dispatching service from South Hills Regional Dispatch Center to the Allegheny County dispatch center. These criticisms were primarily concerning response times and the ability to communicate with other police and EMS departments. There are those who say we are putting money savings ahead of public health, safety and welfare.

These are the facts: Castle Shannon will save nearly $100,000 annually. There has been no increase in response times since January 1, 2005 when the police began to be dispatched by the county, and since February 8, 2005 when Medical Rescue Team South began to be dispatched by the county; and finally, the ability to communicate with other public safety entities has not been a problem.

I do not want to be redundant because there are other articles in the newsletter concerning the 911 system, so please refer to them for additional comments.

*****

Spring is finally upon us and it's time to remind our residents to keep our community clean to protect property values. One unsightly property has a tendency to ruin an entire neighborhood. Most people in Castle Shannon keep their homes and businesses litter-free. There are always a few, however, who don't seem to care about their properties or their neighbors.

The police department and the codes enforcement officer will aggressively issue warnings, and, if necessary, write citations to those who allow weeds, trash, building materials, junk cars, or other types of eyesores to accumulate.

Thank you,


Mayor Donald Baumgarten