Open Space Preservation

Act 153 Tax - Farm Preservation Tax Freeze

Congratulations to the Upper Makefield Township Board of Supervisors who added another weapon to their Open Space Preservation arsenal with the Council Rock School Board passage of the Act 153 Tax Freeze Provisions. The Upper Makefield Township Board of Supervisors initiated and spear headed the proposal sending the Township Solicitor, Stephen Harris, to a series of School Board meetings to represent the Township's interests in the Act 153 Tax Freeze Provisions. The enactment by the Council Rock School Board of the Act 153 Tax Freeze Provisions is ground-breaking legislative action. However, the Supervisors could not have accomplished this task without the aid and support of the Jointure municipalities, the School Board, and strong minded citizens such as Council Rock senior Kristen Grubbs. Kristen's speech to the School Board appears below:

Speech written by Kirsten Grubbs, a Council Rock senior and a member of the National Merit Honor Society.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, members of the school board. My name is Kirsten Grubbs and I am currently class Rank 1 senior at Council Rock. I attended the last school board meeting as a National Merit Semifinalist, and I was honored to be recognized by the board for my achievement. But tonight I am asking that you recognize the importance of an issue that holds great meaning to me personally, as well as to the rest of my generation. I am here to urge you to vote for Act 153, the Farm Preservation Tax Freeze, and let me tell you why.

I was born and raised in California, land of endless concrete and wall-to-wall people. I know what it's like to attend an overcrowded school that is so poor that it can't even replace its tattered text books due to lack of funds: Then four years ago, I moved to the awesome inspiring peace and natural serenity of historic Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, where I can boast that I now attend an outstanding (albeit overcrowded) school that is so financially secure that it can afford to replace text books annually with money to spare. I know that one of the main concerns with Act 153 is that the school will lose valuable tax dollars each year.

The paltry loss of a whopping nine hundred eighty six dollars is not even enough to buy a full class set of texts. Suppose, however, that-these farms are not preserved-and over the next ten years developers turn Council Rock school district into a an area of wall-to-wall people. The influx of children would be staggering, and the average student costs the district an additional $5,000 to educate. So that means - build even one new house that sends even one more child into the school system, and the price is more than five times the amount lost to Act 153. Another concern posed by the board is that even if the act were passed, it would not be enough of an incentive to persuade the farmers to act. I say that these conjectures are inconsequential.

If the-tax freeze persuades even one farmer to preserve his farm, then the tax freeze is a success because that is one more crop that will feed a few more of the 6 billion people that now inhabit this fragile planet.

Saying that the act wouldn't really affect the symbiosis of the district is like a voter not going to the polls because he or she doesn't think that one vote will make a difference.

The final concern is that the tax freeze is not in practice anywhere else in Pennsylvania and that Council Rock would be setting a precedent by enacting it. All I can say to that is, I am sure glad that our forefathers set a precedent by writing the Declaration of Independence over 200 years ago, or I wouldn't even be standing here today asking you, the representatives of the people, to enact a new law. Council Rock sets the standard in academics and athletics, so why can't it also set the standard for improving the quality of life for future generations?

In closing, I only ask you to remember that your decision tonight does not really affect present prosperity (except perhaps for the owners of the 19 farms in question), but it truly and deeply affects the well being and quality of life of my generation and the generations after us. Vote for Act 153 and help keep the legacy of Council Rock alive. Don't let it get buried beneath endless concrete. Thank you.