Town Deserves
Police Coverage

I wish to comment on the recent Select Board meeting in Randolph regarding expansion of the police district. I would have been there to comment in person had I known it was on the agenda. As it is, I'll respond to what I read in the Herald of Randolph.

First of all, I do not want any merchants or farmers taxed out of business. I personally don't think that the property tax is a fair way to pay for this. I'm OK with a per capita head tax, a flat rate per taxable property, a local income tax or whatever seems most equitable. I would hope, however, that the rural residents would show a little sympathy for their downtown brethren and help them out a bit with their burden.

I am not surprised that some merchants didn't see the need for expansion. If my business was at a well lighted, heavily traveled intersection, and someone known and trusted by me was on the premises most times, I wouldn't be too concerned either. The people who need this most are those who live in more isolated areas and may have reason to fear violence from an ex-partner or whomever.

There are economic considerations for Randolph that go beyond taxes. Persons looking to move a company to the Randolph area will want to be sure that their employees feel secure. Persons who might be willing to build here and pay the high tax bills without benefit of a prebate will want to feel secure in their new homes. If you want positive change in Randolph, you have to make it more attractive to positive people. "Same old, same old" won't create economic expansion.

Lt. Harkness of the Vermont State Police was very candid about how bad their response times can be sometimes in rural areas. This is a blatant inequity. If the fire department only covered the downtown area and the rest of us had to wait for an engine to come from Royalton, people wouldn't stand for it. Separate but unequal didn't last for public education funding, it didn't last for gay unions, and it won't last for public safety.

Peter Magoon

Randolph Center