Raise taxes to protect Rhode Island’s coastline
LETTERS
It is evident to just about anyone who is paying attention that the Rhode Island coastline is being ravaged by the effects of climate change. I have lived in Narragansett for over 50 years. During that time, Narragansett Town Beach has lost more than 75 feet of Beach. Much of the beach sand has moved into the Narrow River creating a newly formed beach area that is clogging the Narrow River.
In South Kingstown, nearly all the beach has been disappearing from East Matunuck all the way to Charlestown Beach. Homes have had to be moved, and some have had been destroyed by the constant onslaught of storms. This issue seems to be getting worse just about every year.
This issue is being faced every single coastal community in the State. And without a resolution soon, many of the beach areas in the state will disappear. Ocean front homes in many communities will no longer exist. Many homes along the coast may have to be moved or be protected by very expensive barriers. This is a huge problem that will have many very serious negative impacts on every single coastal city and town in the State. Many coastal communities heavily depend on the revenue base of tourism. Real estate values will be severely impacted if the beaches disappear and the tourists dry up. Home values will likely collapse as demand goes away. Tax revenue will also collapse as values decrease. The ability to fund community priorities will be negatively impacted. Schools funding will likely be difficult. As tourists find other areas to vacation and to buy homes, businesses will likely have to close. The things that all the coastal residents have come to enjoy like boating, going to the beach, going to a wide choice of restaurants, and many of the social events that are a big part of our summer will assuredly go away. Without tourists there just will not be the people and money available to fund the events and
businesses that we are so lucky to have up to now.
Without a very strong effort now to save our magnificent coastline, just about every single Rhode Island resident will rue the day when many of the things that make our State a great place to live will likely disappear. There is absolutely no doubt that our State will not be the same as we know it now. We will have squandered so many things that we love and enjoy about our summers. Our children, grandchildren and future generations will not experience the wonderful things we have taken for granted. They will damn us for being so blind and without any care for them. Is that what we want? I hope that is not the case.
Nearly 30 years ago The Narragansett Conservation Commission proposed that the Town impose a property sales tax of 2% for every property that was would be sold in the Town with the funds from this tax to be placed into a dedicated fund to protect the Town’s coastal areas and important open spaces. At the time I was the Chair of the Commission, and we based our proposal on the same system that Nantucket developed several years earlier. The Nantucket system has been a huge success. However, the Council at that time decided not to do it here. I believe that was a massive mistake that we now can see is having a very serious impact on our coast. The town is trying to find the funds needed to dredge Narrow River and replenish the beach. If they had approved this plan, funding would not be an issue.
I believe that there ought to be a state law passed that would institute a sales tax of a minimum of ½% of 1 percent of all real estate sold in every single coastal community that would be used to fund and protect our critically important coastline. I would propose that the first $100,000 of all sales be exempt from the tax. This would help many of those who have minimal valued properties. But, just for clarification, ½ of 1 percent would generate $4,500 from a $1,000,000 sale with the $100,000 exemption. I cannot believe that anyone would think that this amount to be objectionable, especially given the importance of saving our coast. Everyone should be supportive as saving the coast will be a huge in protecting property values and our way of living. I would like to propose that Narragansett and South Kingstown add ½ of 1per cent that would be kept by each Town as added funds dedicated to each individual town to help protect each coastline and water ways. We need to be sanguine about the dangers of rising sea and water levels and it is imperative that action be taken immediately. I will make this issue a key part of the Narragansett up-coming elections.
The funds raised from this very modest tax should be dedicated to a special fund managed by a new Coastal Council appointed by the Governor and by the State Legislature. The dynamics of this Council structure will need to be set up to be certain that all the funds can only be spent on projects protecting the Rhode Island coastline. We all have seen how things can be mismanaged in our State. But we simply can no longer use this as an excuse not to develop a significant revenue source to protect the State’s most important and valuable asset.
There is every reason to believe that this fund may very well be the only viable strategy to save our coastline. We cannot solely expect the federal government to fund what will huge demands from all other coastal state in the future. We in Rhode Island must take on the responsibility to fund what we know needs to be done immediately. Time is not on our side. We need to create this fund in the next General Assembly. The need is a crisis and the system to deal with this crisis is available. Let’s hope the State law makers understand this. They will be derelict of duty if they don’t.