September
11,
2009
GUEST
EDITORIAL
Employment
and taxes in Goffstown
By
IVAN BELIVEAU
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According to data
obtained from the Planning & Economic Development
Council, Saint Anselm College and the Town of Goffstown itself are the largest employers in Goffstown.
The 2nd largest employer in Goffstown (Goffstown itself) pays no taxes to the town.
The 1,554 employees (and not all are town residents)
listed in the graph
below represent about 15% of the 10,337 workers living in Goffstown.
This number isn’t too surprising since Goffstown is essentially a bedroom community and most of Goffstown’s workers are employed outside of Goffstown.
(Click
image to enlarge)
Data: Goffstown Planning & Economic Development, Stephen B, Griffin,
AICP, Coordinator
16 Main St., Town Offices, Goffstown, NH 03045
There are certainly more workers from very small businesses in Goffstown and Pinardville, and the point still remains that Goffstown doesn’t have much of a commercial base from which to receive tax revenues.
However, this also implies that Goffstown residents have to pick up a substantial portion of the town expenses by paying high property taxes.
Paying higher property taxes may be desirable for some and very difficult for others.
Perhaps the desire to keep Goffstown a quaint picturesque NH town free of industry (a good tax base) that might spoil someone’s personal view “not in my back yard” is important.
There are certainly compromises that make sense that keep the appropriate amount of industry in dedicated areas to provide some property tax relief to Goffstown homeowners.
As Goffstown property taxes double in the next decade, the issues of revenues, fairer taxes, controlling spending, level of services, conservation land and tax base are sure to arise...again!
Stay tuned.
Thanks to Cathie Simard and Bill Gordon for their individual contributions to this Op/Ed essay.
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