Fellow Barrett Township Taxpayers -

I've compiled some additional information regarding properties owned by the Township.

All of the below information (deed and parcel info links, property names, etc) has been merged into the existing "tracker" article.  (full screen alternative link)

Due to the recent flurry of information regarding real estate & property transactions in Barrett Township, I've filed a Right to Know Request asking for all of the DEEDS of properties currently owned by the township, including the former Elementary School building and Golten / Gunderson properties.

Also, here is a link that you can bookmark & share:
https://www.barrettcommunity.com/deeds

Editor's Note:
Below are the comments that I read during the public Auditor's meeting on January 4, 2023.  They are also included in the meeting minutes themselves. 

See also, the latest CPA firm Auditor's Report (FY 2021)

1. In Support of the Rainy Day Fund

Last year we acquired the Barrett Elementary School property. How much is it going to cost to renovate? In 2021, the Community Park at Ice Lake opened. Between 2012 and 2019: The dog park, Wismer, Gravel, Skywood, Ice Lake, Seven Pines, Gunderson, Chestnut Mountain and Weinstein properties. How much does it cost to maintain all these properties?

My opinion is that the Local Services tax should be repealed because it drives away business and makes it harder to attract workers in Barrett Township:

Background - State Level:

• The Local Tax Enabling Act of 1965 allowed Second Class Townships to collect Occupational Privilege Taxes
• In 2004, the Local Tax Enabling Act was amended to allow for collecting "Emergency and Municipal Services Taxes"

Background - Locally:

• In 2005, ordinance 141 was passed, known as "Emergency and Municipal Services Tax"
• In 2007 it was renamed "Local Services Tax" when ordinance #155 was passed.

Friends and Neighbors - I want to share the following information about a small town near Westfield, Massachusetts that built their own fiber optic internet service. Would something like this benefit the people of Barrett Township?

The City of Westfield has been home to an experiment, of sorts, in which municipal internet has been made available to a majority of the homes in the city. Westfield Gas and Electric (WG&E) has developed its own ISP to give residents a choice for internet service beyond the monopoly of a private ISP.

Question:
Did we save money by switching from Barrett Township to Pocono Mountain Regional police?

Answer:
I'm going through the "Public Safety - Police" total expense lines for years available to me and here is what I have:

[Updated 1/7/21 to include 2020's budget]

2010: $552,000 (When Barrett had 6 officers)
2011: ?
2012: ?
2013: ? (+ $100,000*)
2014: ?
2015: $709,000 (The year that Barrett police disbanded. Had 5 officers)
2016: $520,000 (Regional)
2017: $520,000 (Regional)
2018: $578,000 (Regional)
2019: $551,000 (Regional)
2020: $575,048 (Regional)

(Meeting was held last week)

Notes from meeting:

• Monroe County is not receiving any State funds for the project - entirely self funded
• No funds set aside - borrowing (bonds)
• During meeting stated that it has been determined that this project will not affect the overall tax rate

Update 5/20/20 @ 10:30:
I did some more research on the 2020 Census and it seems the driver in our area is likely part of the "Update Leave" part of the census, where they send drivers to areas without postal service.  However, the strange part is our area ALSO received those postcards.  Not sure why this happened, it should only be one or the other during this phase of the census.  FYI, the actual "Door knocking" part of the census begins on August 11, 2020.  

(related)

Update 5/19/20 @ 8:40am - Message from neighbor:
Nate: This Census dude actually is a big question mark. I filed a police report on him. He dropped off somebody else's census on my porch. I drove around the neighborhood until I found the house it belonged to, and delivered it. He came back THE NEXT DAY and was attempting to come up my driveway to drop off another packet. I chased him off, but then grew suspicious. He has been wandering around the area for several days now. Since you obtained a picture of his car, I'm turning it over to the police to investigate.

Original Article:

Why are Census workers driving around, against "social distancing" orders, not wearing masks, in a "red county"?  

I was surprised, let's say, when this 2020 Census worker pulled into my driveway on Saturday May 16, around 4pm. 

Further, we had already completed the census online, on April 2nd!  He had no reason to even pull in. 

This article features a question & answer between myself and Judy Linder, Barrett Tax Collector, regarding the 2020 millage and how it fits into the county-wide reassessment.

QUESTION (Nate)
I'm confused about the property reassessment and the millage. It looks like the millage went from 20 down to 2.5, the millage numbers were roughly divided by 10. Monroe County is switching the property valuations from 25% value up to 100%. Perhaps I'm totally lost here but one set of numbers is divided by 10 and the other multiplied by 4, it doesn't add up to me. Can you let me know what I'm missing, here?

Per Resolution No. 121119B, Barrett Township Supervisors have set the 2020 budget and millage rates. 

For comparison purposes, I have constructed the following table showing the 2020 vs. previous millage rates:

How is the millage rate calculated?
The county, municipality, and school district (taxing authorities) set their budgets for 2020. The taxing authority then divides its budget by the total assessed value of all property within the area it serves to arrive at a millage rate.