A recent transplant, Diane Goodchild, proposed that second homeowners in the area should have a higher tax rate than full-time residents (“
I wonder if she stopped to consider that second homeowners pay the same school taxes as locals and never send kids to our schools? These people pay annual property taxes for infrastructure that they use a quarter of the time when they’re here. If it weren’t for second home owners’ generosity, a lot of local nonprofits would suffer and Music in the Mountains might not even exist!
Too, second homeowners usually pay taxes on properties at prices that are much higher than the average home in Durango. A lot of good paying jobs have been created to serve the needs of second homeowners.
Quite frankly, I’m surprised that Ms. Goodchild didn’t suggest that city and county government appropriate second homes to house the homeless!
Dennis Pierce
Durango
