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Resident asks select board to explore legislative boundary swap after tax and service mismatch
Summary
Stephen Lindner asked the select board to investigate whether a land swap or legislative boundary change could bring parts of his property (and neighbors) taxed by another town into Mount Vernon, citing mismatched services and a desire to realign taxes with where residents obtain services.
Resident Stephen Lindner addressed the select board to describe a long-standing issue: parts of his property (two small corners totaling about a half-acre) are recorded in Mount Vernon but are taxed by a neighboring town (referred to in the transcript as FET). Lindner said residents in the affected area regularly use Mount Vernon services—road plowing and emergency response—but lack voting representation on Mount Vernon issues that affect them.
Lindner outlined a potential path forward: local residents discuss the idea among themselves, seek support from both towns’ select boards, and then ask the state legislature for a boundary adjustment or land swap. He said he had previously discussed the idea with a former select board member (Dan Newman) and noted the town’s current state representative is Sharon Frost; he urged staff to connect him with the assessor to clarify what he owes in Mount Vernon taxes for the small untaxed corners of his lot.
Select board members said they were generally open to discussing the concept and recommended Mr. Lindner coordinate with neighbors and the select board of the other town to gauge local support before pursuing a legislative sponsor. The board also agreed staff would have the assessor follow up to resolve the untaxed corners and report back.
The request was described as preliminary and informational; the board did not commit to a formal legislative petition during the provided transcript.
