We have a complex problem in our rural town that needs to be addressed right away. North Yarmouth allows unlimited building construction on quarter-acre lots in our village center. A total of 131 new houses have been permitted to be built in just the past three years. The town has no plan to deal with the impact this rapid growth creates, and we need one – versus the current Comprehensive Plan, which is a wish list of what we want to see.
Why? Additional residents need more parks, recreation and sidewalks, enhanced rescue service and bigger water mains and storage. Every additional child costs taxpayers $13,880 a year to educate. Many of the new homes are in a tax increment financing district, where none of their taxes can pay for education, and we need a new school.
Development is not bad. Growing without a strategy and no plan to keep taxes affordable is. A “yes” vote March 15 will cap the annual building permits until the town adopts a complete plan to address the growth we are experiencing.
Lincoln Merrill
North Yarmouth
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