Notice of Tax Taking.
An increasing number of property owner's struggle to pay the taxes on their properties. In the spring of 2008 twenty-five properties made the list, now there are fourty-five properties listed. To read the Legal Notice, click here»Peter Frei
Edit - Delete
Comments:
Posted on 7 Nov 2010, 21:10 by Gerry GermaineHolland Have a Heart
This past year one of my neighbors stopped when I was outside one day and asked if I had any work he could do to earn some money, He said he would do anything, even carry logs out of the woods and he said he was going to lose his house and that he had never in his life NOT been able to pay his bills. He said how ashamed and embarrassed he was and worried about how he was going to feed his family. He's since lost his home to the bank and has moved on.
I read the article here on the taking of property by the Town of Holland and have to wonder where our sense of community is during these troubled times that we are all living in. Having sold real estate for over 30 years in Worcester and Hampden County I am very familiar with land taking for non payment of taxes however
back in the day...I use to see people losing their homes for non payment of taxes that usually exceeded 3-4 years of non payment, NOT for just for one year of non payment. I drove by 5 of the homes on the list that's published here and knowing something about values vs. taxes I can't believe that any of the sample properties I drove by are more than one year behind in taxes, at most 1 1/2 years. Again I ask where is our sense of community. Banks are foreclosing on homes left and right, many people are having a hard time paying their bills or can't pay them at all. Can't the Town of Holland take a step back and give these people a chance to pay their tax bills before we just go ahead and take their homes, and dreams? Do we have to embarrass our townspeople by publishing their names in the paper and not only embarrass THEM but their children who will be subjected to comments at school by other children as well??? . Has anyone thought about the emotional damage these children will face as a result of notices like this. I'm all for people paying their bills, and I could understand if these people who are behind were behind for years, and I could understand the taking of land for taxes that are vacant lots, but we are talking about peoples HOMES here. The Town Of Holland has noting to worry about getting its money at some point. TAXES take precedent over anything else, even a mortgage. No property can be taken and sold to another with a clear title by a bank or anyone else without first paying outstanding real estate taxes and betterments, That's the law. So why is the Town of Holland so inflexible that they would take peoples homes for being a year or so behind in taxes? Times are tough, everyone knows it, and everyone knows this could be any one of us. Its not just people losing their homes who got mortgages that didn't deserve to, its out friends, family and neighbors, people who had good jobs and proven track records at work. The town of Holland needs to take a look at what it's doing with regard to this taking of land for taxes. If its discrimination to take property for taxes on vacant land vs. peoples homes than for right now LETS NOT take any of it until a proper sensible judgement can be made as to what to do. This town survived a tax collector that embezzled hundred of thousand's of dollars that doesn't come close to the amounts these 45 town residents owe. Let's stand up and be counted as a town that cares about its people. Let's not humiliate our towns people, lets help them. Let's leave a legacy of intelligent decisions that show compassion for our friends, and neighbors and not knee jerk business as usual ones. Because these AREN'T normal times. Let's look back on memo pries and a legacy that we are proud of ...holding on to and working with our townspeople, and not one of seeing them having to pack up and leave town with their spirits broken. Holland has a choice..and it gets it's money with either the high or the low road. The Town of Holland failed to submit the proper information to the state of Massachusetts a couple years ago and lost $150,000 in state grants. We didn't make the people who were being paid by the town of Holland to submit that information to leave town. Let's NOT make these residents have to leave either for a much smaller infraction.
_________________________________________________________________
Posted on 8 Nov 2010, 22:32 by Peter Frei
No name calling!
I deleted the comment by "Bills," no name-calling unless you are a man and sign your comment with your name. That's the rule...
_________________________________________________________________