Comments on: Some rental agencies wary of tax, Kitty Hawk says

By: Butch Stone

Butch Stone — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:48:58 +0000

For people for or against the beach project, please take the time and listen to this video, all the way through. It's on Town of Nags Head's site.

By: Butch Stone

Butch Stone — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:48:09 +0000

The whole thing is
Don’t let the Outer Banks get a bad name
Most people don’t say they are going to OBX
But they are going to Nags Head
The reputation of the Outer Banks is in the hands of the people and some people are fighting a one penny tax to save the beach.
The beach has given so much more to the people here than a penny

By: Brian

Brian — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:37:58 +0000

“The beach is your income.”

The beach is an income – for some.
In reality, the number of people who visit the banks is the majority of income.
The more people who lay out, swim, surf, skim, fish, kite, kayak, rent shtuff, eat dinner out, visit galleries, play Putt – Putt, shop at all the stores including Wal-Mart, look at birds, monuments, light houses, yadda, yadda, yadda…
Some of those people rent a handful of houses sitting directly in front of the ocean – most don’t, which is easily demonstrated by driving down the beach road and counting the number of houses with feet in the water, then comparing that to hotel rooms and homes off the beach.
If the beach is truly an income, then it makes sense to remove wet homes, install plenty of parking, build up the businesses directly across the beach road, etc….
The emotional appeal for sympathy and a penny from ocean side home owners simply does not fly when you add your request for a penny to everyone else that has their hand out.
Hard choices have to be made and part of those hard choices means hard luck for some and pennies for others.
Here’s a novel idea, skip emotional appeals coming from all directions. Figure out then present real numbers for income from the beach houses and other sources as some are already doing – not the hypothetical might-be scenarios. Compare those numbers with places that really use the beach and make it a source of income. Weigh the real costs of doing so and compare that with what the locality really wants to do for money then approach it the right way, from the bottom up and keep at if for however long it takes.
Does that mean some houses are going to go away in the interim? Sure does, but that’s happening already. In the end it may mean that all the houses go away or we all wind up dropping more than a penny for sand. Better that the final outcome can be tolerated at a cost that those who’ll be holding the bag can live with.

By: Wilbur Wright

Wilbur Wright — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:32:54 +0000

Who owns those houses?

A slow weekend, my chainsaw, and Orville’s new frontend loader.

By: Ron Lane

Ron Lane — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:22:10 +0000

What happens when a storm wipes out the new beach? Are you going to bump up the tax rate? There is no such thing as a temporary tax. Once it is established it hangs around. The beach will always be there. It is just getting rid of the structures in the way. Who owns them?

By: Brian Grffith

Brian Grffith — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:51:21 +0000

Has anyone in Nags Head (or Dare County or Kill Devil Hills for that matter) asked for a detailed accounting of what the ROI will be for a $36 million beach nourishment project that, at best, will last maybe 4 or 5 years (probably more like 2 or 3) and might – MIGHT – reduce future storm impacts some unknown amount?

Also, if the concern is the area’s reputation, beach nourishment may actually be counterproductive since there’s a good chance more structures will sustain less damage after the next big storm. Is that worth $36 million?

And what happens when that $36 million worth of sand goes away? Sure, the Feds may pay to put back some of it, but that’s a very risky gamble…especially along the Outer Banks.

By: Ray

Ray — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:30:57 +0000

Another penny sales tax would have the same effect on what cottage rentors pay as a penny increase on the occupancy tax. Point is, this is no time to be raising taxes on anyone.

By: GB

GB — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:00:37 +0000

I strongly agree that the local Realtor association should poll its members and take a position on equitable homeowner taxation and the current proposal.
The proposed occupancy tax would be 13.75%. We already have 1% of the occupancy tax dedicated to erosion mitigation. If the community truly agrees that there is a need to raise additional funds, then spread the tax increase somewhere else—meals tax, sales tax, beach access fee, fishing tax, beach chair tax, or a toll at the bridge. I think these are all poor ideas, but if you are going to do it, then please at least tax a group who can speak up and is not already subject to a massive existing tax rate.
The increase in occupancy tax strikes me as taxation without representation. If the out-of -town owners of rental homes between the highways, on the west side, on relatively safe oceanfront lots, on Hatteras Island and in other parts of the county were truly aware of the proposed increase that will directly affect them and their guests, I feel that they would be opposed to this just as 4 out of 5 residents were the last time it came up.

By: newjake

newjake — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:05:21 +0000

I don’t think the tax is the issue, and of course the beaches will still be there. They move all the time.

The issue seems to be that Nags Head wants SO much, and is unwilling (it seems) to kick in any $ —

-They want all the fund, and all of the increase.
-They may or may not ask for maybe some money, maybe.

Why not, as suggested, raise that 10.5 million through an assessment?
Why not just raise the town’s sales tax? They could push their local sales tax up a couple points right?
Why not use their own property as collateral for a bigger loan?
Why endanger all the other towns by depleting the fund?
Do they really have millions in the bank? Why isn’t that part of the discussion?

So many questions still.

By: Jackie

Jackie — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:32:54 +0000

I’ve been in property management since 1981. At that time, there were no taxes at all. Of course, there was no AC, TVs, hot tubs, pools etc. Please don’t use the 1% increase as an excuse for a deal breaker about beach nourishment. A concern mentioned here and there does not mean that the majority of rental companies feel the 1% occupancy tax increase would adversely affect our business. Have the Outer Banks Association of Realtors do a REAL poll if necessary. The Outer Banks is still a reasonably priced vacation choice compared to northern and southern neighbors. However, if we don’t have beaches then we have a REAL problem. Nags Head’s problem today will be “yours” soon. Please look at this as a long term Outer Banks issue.