Letters

Huh? Keep taxes low by voting “yes” to an additional layer of government? How exactly does that happen?

On the East Quogue Village Exploratory Committee’s website, it expressly mentions tax increases.

This is an outright lie on the committee’s part. Committee members should genuinely be ashamed of themselves for allowing themselves to lie to the citizens of East Quogue to attempt to garner votes.

The persons who formed this “exploratory” committee are a very small number of people who have a financially vested interest if the hamlet were to incorporate. The “$50-a-year increase in taxes for the average homeowner,” as it states on the committee’s website, will not be nearly enough to pay for a mayor, zoning board, Town Hall or any other of the expenses that will arise from incorporation.

The committee touts that “property values will rise,” as a benefit to incorporation. This is not at all guaranteed; as taxes and property values rise, so do rent and home prices. In what way would this benefit our citizens and businesses that rent their homes and storefronts?

Rising rents and home prices also will drive our children, grandchildren and young people from their hometown. And rising property values will not mean much to our senior citizens or those living on a fixed income when it comes with the condition of higher taxes.

It’s truly disheartening to see the East Quogue Village Exploratory Committee engage with its fellow citizens in such a deceitful manner.

Karin YusiEast Quogue