Click here to learn more about our Chairman in a recent interview.
My name is Kaleb Jacob, Chairman of the New Boston Taxpayers’ Association. I moved here with my family in August, 2007. Having lived in Bedford and Goffstown, then Wisconsin and Maine, we hand picked New Boston as our home when we came back to New Hampshire and we did not settle for any other town. At that time we felt that our taxes were pretty reasonable. Every year we saw a shocking increase. Now, I feel that property tax rates are out of control and today there are ballot items that, if voted up, will probably require more postage to get my tax bill to my mailbox.
For years I have complained about these increases. On a serious note, some New Boston residents have actually cried wondering how they will afford their tax bill. Many town employees know me as the one that says “neigh” at town and school deliberative sessions. I am usually by myself, but occasionally there are others that say it and they are almost always senior citizens. This was my way to tell the town leaders that not all of us are happy with the constant hikes. For years, this didn’t seem to make any difference. When I heard about a capital expenditure that may hit our ballot in 2017 that may cost around $2.5 million and that steps have already been taken in that direction to possibly solidify the initiative, I decided to stop complaining and start a taxpayer watchdog group. And guess what? I have been extremely busy for the last week with meetings, social media, personal emails to me and back to people that you would think read my mind. My weekend of chores turned into a full time job with the NBTA and I have not been this stress free in years. It does help to talk about it and stop complaining about it. The response has been explosive in a good way.
Last Wednesday, we had about 5 members on our Facebook page and today we have 56. We elected officers, board members and adopted bylaws. Our leadership team is better than what many companies have and the emails and phone calls still come in. Talking about this to residents almost always starts a vibrant conversation and most people just assumed that sharply rising taxes was the norm and that no one cared. Some have said that they never voted in town politics but that they will this year. Now there is an advocate for the taxpayer and will make sure there is constant forward motion to the goal of lowering taxes and justifying every dollar. The NBTA will be doing research, interviews and reporting back to the residents the results of their analysis.
Consider becoming a member by clicking Contact Us and asking for a membership application.
Respectfully,
Kaleb Jacob, Chairman