Free Keene

Comment by Ian

July 2, 2009 @ 3:27 pm

Nicely done, Patrick. Of course, the “public interest” from their perspective means the interest of those in the city. (Screw those families.) The city bureaucrats’ interest is to not let anyone get away without paying, else others might the the idea to also not pay. Then it would be curtains for their rule.

Comment by Paul

July 2, 2009 @ 3:38 pm

Wow, it really says that in their statement of ethics!? Talk about oblivious.

Comment by Ian

July 2, 2009 @ 4:02 pm

They would say that it’s not stealing when they do it. They call it a “tax deed”. See? No stealing!

Comment by Fraker

July 2, 2009 @ 4:45 pm

Cynthia on Talkback (paraphrased): We can\’t let some get away with not paying their property taxes, or no one would do it.

Hmmmm… So an elected official, who’s job is it is to carry out the wishes of her constituents, professes knowledge that the vast majority of her constituents don’t want the taxes. There’s no way to square this with their public image of having a mandate from the people since she’s doing the exact opposite of that mandate that she possesses knowledge of.

Comment by Edward J. Burkah

July 2, 2009 @ 9:50 pm

FRAKER: You make way too much sense. You’re too logical. Too rational. Too sane. So, 30 DAYS CONTEMPT OF COURT! $1000. fine. NO COMMUNITY CERVIX! Next case, please!…

Comment by Mike

July 3, 2009 @ 7:31 am

Very well said, Fraker, and great point! I wonder what Cynthia would say if that were posed to her directly as a question: “Cynthia, you are an elected official who is supposed to represent your constituents, but you said that you enforce property tax because your constituents don’t want to pay it. What is your rationale for that?”

Comment by Scott in Winnipeg

July 3, 2009 @ 10:48 am

I had seen on the old keene website that Cynthia said that one of her mandates was to reduce property taxes. How is that going?

Comment by Truth Seeker

July 4, 2009 @ 5:50 am

Dear Ian,

I’ve heard you on the air ask several times about property taxes, and the obligation to pay (that is from where does it come). I stumbled across something that may be a partial explanation. Apparently in CA some one had the idea to creatively finance rooftop solar panels by coming up with some method by which municipal bonds will be issued to buy & install the panels for homeowners. The home owners then pledge their land as collateral, and the payment is added to the ppty tax bill.

Thus, it is possible that many property taxes may have started out by home/land owners incorporating entities (ie these legal persons), then transferring deed into said entity to create bankable assets to issue muni debt against. In exchange for the owners property, the entity issued a permanent leasehold. The resident gets to vote for/against the various managements (ie bureaucrats) to run it. Think about it, the city of Keene is listed in Dunn and Bradstreet. There is a city ‘manager.’ They publish financial reports, have shareholder meetings (i e town halls). I bet they even hire an auditor.

The purpose of creating the City of Keene? Perhaps it was created to finance roads, sewers, utilities, water districts, schools, etc. Now many of these property owners probably figured this was a good deal, after all, such infrastructure creates value for their property and can be done wiht these tax effective bonds.

Perhaps along the way the structuring and purpose of the entity grew beyond what it was set up to do, like a rogue corporation, ie an Enron or a Tyco, where the employees and execs get theirs and screw their owners.

Of course this is all speculation, and I don’t have the answers, particularly with respect to what the district court is, or how can you abrogate the deal. Maybe looking into the history of the land/title paper works & construction plans of your house. In the old days they kept decent records and actually believed in contract laws. Maybe with some kind of FOIL request you’ll come across some of the original paperwork that created Keene and the origin of the house/land you live upon. Its all so facinating.
Maybe you will dig something up and sue the City seeking some kind of specific performance (distributions/repurchase of your deed), which will allow you to opt out (worth a shot, doubt it will work, but could be another baby step to stay active in the quest b4 putting the chips down and beginning the tax revolt.)

Either way, its clear that these things were thought of years before any of us were born and no one seems to know why they continue as they do. Its amazing to me how ignorant we all are of such seemly simple arrangements.

Best of Luck, and to quote the movie Zoolander, “Keep tugging at the thread, eventually the whole this will unravel…”

Hope to join you all when things really get cooking up there…

Best,
He Who Seeks the Truth to Set Him Free

Comment by Edward J. Burkah

July 6, 2009 @ 6:20 pm

Didja’ see where recently Keene Housing Authority (a Government Agency w/”G” plates on their vehicles) dumped a whole bunch of their low-income subsidized properties on the local real estate market? Boy-OH-boy, Mitch Greenwald isn’t just over-inflating local real estate prices! No, he’s going for even more pervasive *MARKET MANIPULATION*!!!…he’s sorta a “repo man” for real estate…Keep your eyes peeled, folks, for who buys these houses, &for how much…& didja’ see where some clown is proposing new *DISABLED* housing! What a freakin’ *NUT*!….don’t he know them retards & loony tunes belong in some big state institution???…bet I can get me a nice little house, cheap!…