Letters: Doubly taxed seniors could opt for secession

Saturday's editorial, "Taxing seniors," called attention to the issues facing seniors living in continuing-care retirement communities and age-restricted communities. Taxing all property owners to fund schools is settled law. But municipal taxation for self-contained communities is not. I live in a 55+ community that provides all its own services, including water, sewer (we have our own sewage plant), snow plowing, road repair, trash pickup, and recycling. Yet we are taxed by the township as if we received full township services.

Many seniors have been hurt by recent financial events, and we are troubled by what amounts to double taxation - paying for municipally provided services that we do not in fact receive. The township has received a windfall from our community.

It is time to find an equitable solution. There are communities that purchase emergency-service coverage from adjacent communities. In our case, we have two communities with whom we can negotiate. To continue without addressing this problem, however, is unwise. Perhaps secession is the more realistic answer, since our homeowners' association already runs our community as a small independent entity.

Howard A. Jones

East Goshen Township