I hope you will join us at our Annual Summer Party which will be held Sunday, July 22, 2018, from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm hosted at the home of members Jack Hornor and Ron Skinn at 11 Old Colony Way.
Mark your calendars and join fellow part-time residents for a great afternoon. Be sure to bring a friend or two; new members and guests are warmly welcomed. Parking provided by our friends at the Outer Cape Health Services.
The party is not just a great way to socialize with fellow part-time residents, but it is also an excellent opportunity to talk with like-minded individuals about the future of Provincetown and the role of part-time residents in an informal setting.
PPRTA ANNUAL MEETING SUMMARY
The PPRTA held our Annual Members Meeting on June 9 at the Provincetown Theater. The meeting was very well attended and began with PPRTA business including the election of our newest Board Member, Scott Van Hove. Congratulations Scott!
PPRTA President, Steve Fossella, addressed proposed initiatives by the PPRTA including pooling resources with sister groups in Truro, Wellfleet, and Chatham to obtain the right to vote and/or sit on local committees. Steve pointed out that part-timers own 83 percent of the property in Provincetown, pay about 85 percent of the taxes, and yet have no voice in how our town is managed.
Our guest speaker, newly elected Provincetown Select Board member Lise King, gave a very interesting presentation including explaining her personal journey from Provincetown and back again to now an elected official. She expressed a desire to hit the reset button with part-time residents. She also addressed the use of social media and the need for more civility in that forum. Her remarks were followed by a very lengthy and lively Q/A session. We thank Ms. King for being very open and candid with the audience, and for staying well beyond the allotted time to answer everyone’s questions.
We thank David Drake, the Artistic Director of the Provincetown Theater and David Wilson, for lending us the Provincetown Theater space. Very best wishes for the summer season -- break a leg. Also, a very big thank you to the folks at Far Land for the freshly baked breakfast treats.
PROVINCETOWN BUDGET NEWS
Provincetown’s budget is $28 million. Of that, $20 million is raised through property taxes with part-time residents contributing $17 million of those taxes.We are the overwhelming majority of property owners and so have an obligation to help manage the Town. We should not place the entire burden of this on our full-time neighbors and agree that we must contribute our fair share.
The Town has significant ongoing obligations to former and current employees for both retirement/pensions and other post-employment benefits (OPEB) liabilities. All taxpayers should become better educated as to retirement/pensions, OPEBs and the town debt as these obligations will result in higher expenses in future operating budgets. We've not seen any references to efforts to cap/end retirement/pensions of OPEBs. We believe less than 35 percent of private employers offer these types of benefits. The voters seem more than willing to take on more debt for taxpayers as evidenced by recent votes.
The recently proposed Town charter changes and revisions offer part-time resident taxpayers nothing in terms of participation. That is why we are working with Truro, Wellfleet, and Chatham to bring a bill to the State House providing part-time resident taxpayers with a vote in local matters. We cannot do this without you and your support.
STAND UP. BE COUNTED.
Part-time residents have a large stake in the management of the town and its future. After all, we are the majority of homeowners. Many of you continue to express frustration at not having a voice in the town we fund. It is not that part-time residents are simply taxpayers or even a large number of taxpayers, but rather we are the overwhelming majority of residential taxpayers on the Outer Cape.
Connecticutgives all taxpayers a vote. Delaware gives all taxpayers a vote. Eight other states -- Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming -- give all taxpayers a vote in the communities they fund. Part-time resident taxpayers in Florida, New York, Vermont, and Wisconsin are also working for a vote.
Here on Cape Cod, our Association has joined with Truro, Wellfleet, and Chatham to work for the same.
The task to get a voice in the communities we fund and in which we have “skin in the game” is a challenge but it is not impossible. Given the Town’s repeated rejection of even token representation for part-time residents on government committees, it is clear we will not succeed on the local level. Thus our efforts must be aimed at the legislature. This will take hard work, money, and perseverance. We each must step up to this task and stay with it.
TAKE ACTION: • Renew your membership or join for the first time because we cannot do this without you. Click HEREto join/renew.
• Encourage friends and neighbors to join us. Numbers matter!
• Attend our Summer Party on July 22.
• Volunteer on a PPRTA committee or serve on our Board of Directors because we need your help.
• Donate to our Action Fund. Email us at to learn more: ptown.nrta@gmail.com
Look for our advertisements in the Provincetown Banner all July and August!
Please make sure to "Like" the Provincetown Part-Time Resident Taxpayer Association on Facebook! It's a great place to connect with other Provincetown part-timers to discuss the issues and challenges that we face.
About the PPRTA:
The Provincetown Part-Time Resident Taxpayers Association works for the betterment of the whole community of the Town of Provincetown by providing a forum and a voice for the interests of Provincetown part-time resident taxpayers, most of whom must make their voting residence elsewhere.
Goals
Maintain and support the unique quality of life that exists in Provincetown.
Advocate for representation on budget-related issues for part-time residents of Provincetown.
Provide a forum for part-time resident taxpayers to communicate with local, regional and state governments.
Encouraging the participation of part-time residents in all aspects of the community.
