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Letter to the Editor: Town must balance character, finances

by | Sep 23, 2024 | Letter to Editor

Every time a potential zoning change comes before the town, I see a letter or two accusing town officials of “catering to developers” and “destroying the character of our town.” Our town does have an idyllic rural character that we would like to preserve.

Our town’s “character” also includes a financial situation in which over 80% of the town’s revenue comes from residential property taxes, and like all towns, we are grappling with rapidly rising costs over the next several years.

Increasing business revenue in Hopkinton is vital to our economic survival. Zoning changes can be scary, especially for those Hopkinton residents living nearest the change. Simply denying all of them will leave town residents with ever-increasing tax bills or cuts to needed town services. Bringing businesses to Hopkinton must be done carefully, but it must be done.

All zoning changes come before Town Meeting. In the few years I have been a Hopkinton resident, I have dutifully attended town meetings to see these proposals come up. A crowd of people approach the microphone to speak, identify themselves as living nearest the proposed change, and speak about town character, urging everyone to vote against the proposal. The vote is sometimes close (and does often fail) and then a wave of people abandon the rest of the meting, ignoring the other needs of the town.

The residents of Hopkinton are the town government. It is up to us to both preserve town character and bring desperately needed business revenue to Hopkinton.

Learn about the issues. Attend the town meetings. Vote wisely.

— Brian Johnson, Hopkinton

Editor’s note: The opinions and comments expressed in letters to the editor are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the Independent. Submissions should be no more than 400 words and must include the writer’s name and contact information for verification. Letters should be relevant and not primarily for the purpose of promoting an organization or event or thanking sponsors or volunteers. Letters may be edited by the Independent staff for space, errors or clarification, and the Independent offers no guarantee that every letter will be published. For a schedule of deadlines for letters and other submissions for the print edition, click here.

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