Township of Governor's Island, N.H.?

[AC2717]

Originally Posted by Belmont Resident

If what I was told by a town employee is correct then Governors Island used to be part of Laconia.
They decided they did not want to be part of Laconia because they were being taxed too much. They decided to become part of Gilford.
Once again from what I was told, the taxes from the Island are what keep the taxes for the rest of the Gilford residents as low as they are.

Now I don’t know how many are, year round residents on the Island, but I can’t have a lot of sympathy for 2nd home owners, when so many can’t even afford one home.
And as far as I know we all know ahead of time what we are getting into before we sign on the dotted line.

We just got our tax bill for our 2nd home in Northern Maine and it was a staggering $1100.00. Yes that is eleven hundred. No complaints here, it’s a small price to pay for the solitude we enjoy during all of the summer holidays when the lake is a zoo. Not to mention the thousands of miles of snowmobile riding from our doorstep.

Not picking a fight here, but just because they have a second home does not mean they should have to pay more for it because they can afford it.

[Heaven]

Well help me out then, does Gilford charge a greater tax rate for GI than for other areas of Gilford?

[Mink Islander]

At least that's according to the Governors Island Club website. It was once part of Gilmanton according to that site.

[Mink Islander]

Originally Posted by Heaven

Well help me out then, does Gilford charge a greater tax rate for GI than for other areas of Gilford?

If your mansion is worth millions, as most if not all on GI are, then you will pay a lot of taxes. If that property is increasing in value faster than the average home in town, then their taxes will rise faster than others too. That's the NH tax scheme. Gilford (and GI) is no different than any other town/taxpayer in that regard.

[samosetguy]

The thing I don't get is I pay over $4k a year in RE taxes in NH (more than I pay in MA) yet I'm a NON-RESIDENT when buying my fishing license. To me, that's sort of an unnecessary slap in the face to all us seasonal property owners.

And since I'm venting, would it kill a Policeman to spend some time on Scenic Dr/Belknap Pt Rd in Gilford. It's a beautiful road that I would guess at least hundreds use a week in the summer for biking/running/walking. I swear I'm almost hit 3 times a summer by some speeding driver yet I rarely ever see the police try to stop speeders. Where else in the town is more important for them to sit in between calls?

Lastly, I emailed the chief of Gilford Police two years ago asking if I should take any precautions before taking my family hiking in the fall (i.e. around hunting season). His reply . . . "I don't know, I don't hunt." Maybe I'm being too critical but I was disappointed with that reply.

[Mink Islander]

I agree we should be treated as residents for such things as fishing licenses and snowmobile registrations. But that's a state, not a town issue. Show me the state rep that will lift his/her pinkie for a non-resident/non-voter. I will say, Gilford treats it's (non bridged) island residents better than any other town on the lake. Partly because there are a surprising number of islanders who are also full time mainland Gilford residents, partly out of longstanding tradition, but mostly because Gilford islanders are organized and proactive on town issues that impact them. Perhaps Gilford needs a non resident taxpayer association to consolidate issues and bring a better voice to the discussion. Equally true for other towns around the lake.

[RailroadJoe]

I drive Belknap Point Road at least twice a month and am always traveling about 20 miles per hour. I always stop at Lincoln Park, so maybe I like to see the lake.

Also if you hike any time during hunting season even if your on a road near woods, wear something orange, never wear white. When hunting in the woods hunters look for movement.

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by RailroadJoe

I drive Belknap Point Road at least twice a month and am always traveling about 20 miles per hour. I always stop at Lincoln Park, so maybe I like to see the lake.

Also if you hike any time during hunting season even if your on a road near woods, wear something orange, never wear white. When hunting in the woods hunters look for movement.

I cannot stress enough as a hunter, if you venture into the woods wear something blaze orange and a lot of it.

[Belmont Resident]

Multimillion dollar homes, lake front, and views. All add up to a higher tax rate no matter what town you live in. GI just happens to be all million dollar homes not a mixture like other areas of the lake.
Honestly one of the biggest eye sores on the lake unless you own there.
I have not met many who just can not understand the need for that much wasted space.
I've always believed in having what I need in a house, not building to impress.

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by Belmont Resident

GI just happens to be all million dollar homes not a mixture like other areas of the lake.

That's not what I see in this close-up aerial video of the northeast shore of GI: Governors Island Helicopter Tour. Yes, there are megamansions, but there are still some original camps there, and long stretches of woods.

[NoBozo]

Nice video Bill. I just noticed something I hadn't noticed before..All those very expensive property's ..and NO Real Boathouses. Just a few open-walled "carports".

Are new construction boathouses no longer permitted on the lake..?? There is a nice new Stone boathouse over on Umbrella Point (Wolfeboro Neck)....but it was built on dry land (actually blasted out of solid rock) and then a lagoon dredged out in front afterward.

Maybe the property owners on GI just aren't Rich Enough to "Get er done". NB

[fatlazyless]

Originally Posted by flyguy

.... in this close-up aerial video of the northeast shore of GI: Governors Island Helicopter Tour. Yes, there are ...

Say hey....that looks like two tennis courts, complete with tennis court nets, located just a few feet away from the water's edge, and nobody was playing any tennis! That's a big waste to see two empty and unused tennis courts!

So, what should I do to find a tennis-playing, bored Gov Isl widow in her fifties, or younger, like much younger? If she has a hot car with a manual transmission, that would be a big plus.......either German or Swedish is good!

I could be over there in the Alumacraft outboard in about five minutes! From Buoy 3 to Governor's Island: Distance......about three million dollars......: time....oh about five minutes or less!

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Say hey....that looks like two tennis courts, complete with tennis court nets, located just a few feet away from the water's edge, and nobody was playing any tennis! That's a big waste to see two empty and unused tennis courts!

So, what should I do to find a tennis-playing, bored Gov Isl widow in her fifties, or younger, like much younger? If she has a hot car with a manual transmission, that would be a big plus.......either German or Swedish is good!

I could be over there in the Alumacraft outboard in about five minutes! From Buoy 3 to Governor's Island: Distance......about three million dollars......: time....oh about five minutes or less!

That's the funniest thing you have posted in a loooong time!!

[Pineedles]

Feeling lucky FLL? You dont get, if you don't don't try! Give it a shot big guy! You could be fluffen off Walmart and doin Rodeo Drive if you're smart.

[Sue Doe-Nym]

New boathouses are not permitted in Center Harbor or Moultonboro but I think they are the only two towns that don't allow them.

[fatlazyless]

So, does the Town of Gilford allow the Governor's Island tennis court property to be exempt from the property tax for some reason like 'in current use' or because it is a community recreation facility, or something? After all, isn't the Castle in the Clouds, over in Moultonborough, applying to be property tax exempt, so if it's good for the Castle then it should be good for the tennis courts, too!

This makes good local property tax policy?
............

Compared to golf, sailing, or skiing; tennis is the cheapest sport around! Walk into Wal-Mart with a twenty dollar bill, and you can walk out fully equipped for tennis; twenty dollars will buy you a decent tennis racquet and six tennis balls, good enough to get you started in tennis, and most everyone already has sneakers and a hat.

Local tennis courts, totally free-to-use, are all over the area at municipal tennis courts in Ashland, Center Harbor, Meredith, Moultonborough, and Gilford. Only Waterville Valley has no free tennis, and that's because they have 18 red clay courts at the www.wvtennis.com which cost money to use and besides, clay tennis courts require a lot of daily court maintenance like they need to be watered and brushed out, just like a horse. Most likely, the Governor's Island tennis courts are not open to the public and are probably a private club. So, does the Governor's Island tennis court property pay regular property taxes because if they do then that would be a lot of money considering that waterfront location?

But who knows, anything is possible when it comes to being property tax exempt; just look at The Castle or the closed-up Camp Monotomy?

[Pineedles]

Originally Posted by Sue Doe-Nym

New boathouses are not permitted in Center Harbor or Moultonboro but I think they are the only two towns that don't allow them.

I disagree. There is a brand new boathouse in Moultonborough on a property for sale in Center Harbor bay. They dug into the shoreline to create a new waterline. Property is directly North of Little One Mile Island. Asking price is a bit over $5 million. Also, I believe another one has been built about 4 propertys to the west from the Centre Harbor town beach where the FF was held this year.

[Sue Doe-Nym]

If this is the property I am thinking of, the permit was obtained before the no boathouse zoning took effect or was grandfathered. Check with the COE and you will learn that there are no new boathouses in Moultonboro.

[Pineedles]

Both places were built fairly recently, within the past 5 years. I will check, thanks. One thing, what is COE? Corps of Engineers, Commission on Environment, ??

[Onshore]

Perhaps she meant C(ode) E(nforcement) O(fficer).

Under current standards, any new boathouse needs to be of the dug-in variety. There are 2 characteristics of Governer's island that may have contributed to the lack of boathouses in the area. The first is slope. The shoreline of Governor's gains elevation in a hurry. This makes for greater excavation needs and higher cuts in steeper slopes that will need to be restabilized. This increases the potential for erosion and stuctural problems. Shoreland Rules prohibit the construction of structures in slopes steeper than 25% because of these concerns. The second characteristic of Governor's that might be working against boathouse construction is the fact that much of Governor's shoreline experiences significant, natural, littoral transport of sand. This sand moving along the shoreline can fill in a boathouse in less than a year in some circumstances. It could render a boathouse unsustainable.

[Pineedles]

Originally Posted by shore things

Perhaps she meant C(ode) E(nforcement) O(fficer).

Under current standards, any new boathouse needs to be of the dug-in variety. There are 2 characteristics of Governer's island that may have contributed to the lack of boathouses in the area. The first is slope. The shoreline of Governor's gains elevation in a hurry. This makes for greater excavation needs and higher cuts in steeper slopes that will need to be restabilized. This increases the potential for erosion and stuctural problems. Shoreland Rules prohibit the construction of structures in slopes steeper than 25% because of these concerns. The second characteristic of Governor's that might be working against boathouse construction is the fact that much of Governor's shoreline experiences significant, natural, littoral transport of sand. This sand moving along the shoreline can fill in a boathouse in less than a year in some circumstances. It could render a boathouse unsustainable.

Thanks Shore things. Both of the mentioned boathouses were "dug-in".

[Pineedles]

I went to the town ordinance section for M'boro and Sue is correct.

F. (1) Dug-in Boathouses in or over the water shall not be allowed. Proposed
Boathouses at the time of the adoption of this section of the ordinance shall be
eligible for a Town Building Permit until June 30, 2003.

I stand corrected. They must have proposed the boathouses much earlier.

[Rattlesnake Guy]

Originally Posted by Belmont Resident

Multimillion dollar homes, lake front, and views. All add up to a higher tax rate no matter what town you live in. GI just happens to be all million dollar homes not a mixture like other areas of the lake.
Honestly one of the biggest eye sores on the lake unless you own there.
I have not met many who just can not understand the need for that much wasted space.
I've always believed in having what I need in a house, not building to impress.

BR, I think you are confused. The higher the assessed value for the town, the lower the tax rate. Having a bunch of big houses that don't use town services is a real boon to a town's tax rate reduction. Of course how much money the town spends is just as important.

Personally, I like the looks of any size place that is well done. I have not seen a strong correlation between well done and money spent. You can find plenty of both on either end of the bell curve.

[Jonas Pilot]

Rattlesnake Guy said ...

"Personally, I like the looks of any size place that is well done. I have not seen a strong correlation between well done and money spent. You can find plenty of both on either end of the bell curve."

Well said.

[Merrymeeting]

Like many things in life, the McMansions stick out because of their size and become the topic of most conversations.

But, when I travel around the lakes, I still see that the very large majority of homes are owned by hard-working, middle-class, families, whom in many cases have owned the property for generations.

Then everyone wants to tax the "rich" and the taxes reach the point where the hard working family can no longer justify owning the property. They sell to a richer family who does a tear-down on the "little" house... and the cycle continues.

Be careful what you wish for.

[Kamper]

I sympathize with you out-of-staters. When I worked in Mass. No one asked me how I wanted my income tax dollars to be spent.

Have you thought about establishing a precedent in your home state for NH to follow? How often have you commuicated to your rep.s that you feel "taxation without representation" goes against the traditions of the Commonwealth? I'm sure we'd all be interested in any response you get.

[TOAD]

Originally Posted by Kamper

I sympathize with you out-of-staters. When I worked in Mass. No one asked me how I wanted my income tax dollars to be spent.

Have you thought about establishing a precedent in your home state for NH to follow? How often have you commuicated to your rep.s that you feel "taxation without representation" goes against the traditions of the Commonwealth? I'm sure we'd all be interested in any response you get.

It's not called a "Commonwealth" for nothing.

[SIKSUKR]

Interesting topic and timely for myself. I just spent the last few days on an island in Maine which did just this. My gf's daughter got married this past weekend on Long Island in Casco Bay. It used to be part of Portland but it seceded from it some time ago. Talked to a few locals that are very happy about that. The thing that stood out and I thought was funny was that the cars on the island didn't have any license plates or inspection stickers. Lots of old vehicles that probably would not pass. Many golf carts for transportation also. Pretty cool experience and a nice feel to the place. Not sure it compares to the GI situation with that being a bridged island and the homes on LI being very modest summer camps. fwiw