To the Editor:

The Internal Revenue System is masterful in its approach to achieving an extremely high level of compliance to the IRA laws.  They go after a few non-compliant taxpayers to the full extent of the law.  The result is a very high level of compliance (something exceeding 95%.)  They only hit less than 1/10th of the 5% who try to get around the law.  They get a lot of bang for their enforcement buck.

You ask where am I going with this discourse.  I will cut to the chase.

Goffstown's Code Enforcement Officer goes after people who have illegal signs with a letter stating that they might be fined $175 a day for not obeying the town sign ordinance.  

Now here is the 'found money' for you.  

Back last fall, the Code Enforcement Officer, Derrick Horne, was alerted of a sign within the historic district right next door to the Grasmere Town Hall advertising services by Nu-Wave Electric.  I checked later with Mr. Horn and found that the sign was indeed not properly permitted and that he had notified Nu-Wave Electric.  Since that time, I have again spoken with Mr. Horn, as well as his new boss, Town Planner Brian Rose, and Selectman Phil D'Avanza and Selectman Scott Gross concerning the sign.  At least 300 days have passed and that sign hasn't budged. 

300 days times $175 a day is a tidy sum of money - $52,500.

Maybe dinging Nu-Wave Electric $52,500 for failure to comply with the well-intentioned yet poorly enforced sign ordnance would send a message to those who put up a sign without a permit.

Better still, let's just rescind the sign ordinance and remove Code Enforcement Officer from the town employment roll and save at least $52,500 every year. 

In my eyes, all the above mentioned individuals (Gross, D'Avanza, Rose, and Horne) have let the town down.  Hopefully, I will never have to pull a permit at the Planning Department - so is life. 

Bill Gordon
Goffstown