Why Do We Need A Horse Cop?
Why Do We Need A Horse Cop?
To the Editor:
Reading the article on Newtownâs horse tax âSome Pay, Some Donâtâ [The Newtown Bee, September 28, 2001] brings up many of the current issues facing Newtown. I present the following question to the readers of this article. Do you think there is a culture of arrogance by some of Newtownâs government leaders? Others have suggested that it is so.
I live on Poverty Hollow and own no horses but pay big bucks to Newtown when it comes to taxes. I have no children and consider my wife and I to be a credit to Newtownâs balance sheet rather than a debit on its resources.
Speaking of debit, is Newtown so desperate for tax money that we need a horse cop? Who cares what horses are registered or are on the tax roll. Please spare me the philosophical aspects of what is right and wrong and who is and isnât a law abiding citizen to this ordinance. Now we are going to have a committee, waste time and possibly money on such a mundane issue for Newtown? I bet the next challenge will be what dogs are registered and licensed with the Town Hall. Iâm sure all the missing dogs can be a source of tax revenue for the town. And then we can go after the cats.
Are there not other issues to be considered that would greatly benefit the town? I can think of a few issues that involve my interests with the town. How about the issue of overdevelopment, more open space, or a community voice in the development of Fairfield Hills? Concerning the issue of overdevelopment, what steps has the town taken for the prevention of continued development? There has been great dialogue and suggestions in many of the letters to the editor; however, I see no action on the part of the town officials to even acknowledge some of the great ideas. I know something can be done. For example the first selectman of Trumbull was instrumental in setting aside $15 million of the townâs budget for open space to prevent the influx of condos. For Newtown, isnât space the polarizing factor between existing horse farms and all the newly developed box houses? So why are the town leaders concerned about the horses? Shouldnât they be concerned about the developers? In tackling this issue, are not the leaders of Newtown putting the cart before the horse⦠or should I say the box house before the horse? Furthermore, concerning the issue of open space, I believe it is low on the townâs priority list compared to economic development. Why do I say this? Because unfortunately one of the farms was sold on Poverty Hollow Road and of course, as you can imagine, October 18 the P&Z will be considering a seven-house development with no open space! (Wentworth Estates) Why no open space you ask? Because it is alleged the developer is giving twice the amount in another one of his developments. I donât begrudge the owner of the property and what he is doing; because these are his own self-interests. But I question the town leaders and their back room deals⦠which may be legal. My point is that the surrounding area and neighbors of this development will be missing treasured open space no matter what the legalities or the laws explain. And I might add the P&Z laws are doing little for Newtown residents concerning these important issues.
My question to the town leaders would be do you think the owners of these new homes will complain about the horse farm up the street? Do you think there will be more letters to the editor complaining about farm smells? Do you think theyâre even entitled to complain considering the fact that they will be moving into a neighborhood that was built after the existence of the horse farm?
In review, my experience with talking to people, living in Newtown, and reading The Bee is that economic development is the wave of the future with our current government and first selectman. You ask what does economic development mean for our leaders? More taxes. More newspapers sold. More insurance for businesses. More lawyer fees. More business for real estate brokers. And of course job prosperity for developers. Lastly, do you think anyone involved with town government may benefit from the above interests? What does economic development mean for the majority of Newtown residence? More taxes, crowded roads, more schools, and most important, less open space and the loss of a rural setting for all of us.
Therefore I ask, can we find a leader whose interests are for the preservation of land; to foster the increase of land value rather than dilution of current real estate by box houses? Call the first selectman if you are concerned. Tell him what you feel.
P.S. I canât resist commenting on the article âTown Seeks Exemption from Zoning Regulationsâ [The Newtown Bee, September 28].The meat of this article is moving top soil from school 5/6 construction zone to Newtown High School. Please, Newtown, this is a practice performed regularly by developers. Just take a drive on Saturday morning and watch the dump trucks take away the top soil, leaving the new home owner with four to six inches of top soil. I specifically saw this happening one Saturday morning on Taunton Hill Road. We all know the town looks the other way concerning this practice. So spare us the pomp and circumstance of touting regulations concerning this issue.
John Peeling
Poverty Hollow Road, Newtown                                 October 3, 3001