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Our increase in taxes is not just because of the school. Our local wonderful Fire dept is also taking a lot of our increase. Where we live, our fire taxes are over $2000 a year ; the towns that surround us are all in the $700 range. Yes, we need to pay for our volunteer depts, but how come they need bottled water, soda, protection for their uniforms??
Look back in Newsday and you will see where we live ; it is nowhere near an upscale community.
dorothy
Hi, I have some information about Indian Trail, N.C., first of all I visited there in the spring and it was beautiful. I have a friend who lives there and loves it. I too, have a special needs daughter and the services she would get when i contacted the different schools were the same as she is receiving on Long island. We were all set to move but my house did not sell and need less to say here we are. If my house sold I would have moved in a minute I have lived on Long island all my life and I hate it. It is overpriced, overtaxed and the people are about the rudest in the world. We have no relatives either as they have all passed sadly. If you want to check out the schools there is a good place called school matters.com, it gives you alot of information. I hope this helps, my cousin also told me that Tennesee, has good schools also for special needs. I know Pennsylvania also has some great schools good luck
Our increase in taxes is not just because of the school. Our local wonderful Fire dept is also taking a lot of our increase. Where we live, our fire taxes are over $2000 a year ; the towns that surround us are all in the $700 range.
dorothy
Very very true. We are "lucky" in that our fire dept taxes are in the more "average" range. Taking a quick gander at the tax bill I just paid the other day the big-ticket items are:
School district: $9984
County Police: $1799
Sewer district (no cesspools/septic systems allowed anymore): $1058
Fire dept: $775
Local Library: $650
Garbage collection: $470
All of the remaining additional ten items/taxing entities range from $30 to $235 each.
I remember that series in Newsday. One quote that sticks out in my mind was the comment from the sales rep of a fire truck manufacturer: "There are fire trucks... and then there are Long I$land fire truck$$!" Because the fire districts just run down the list of available options and check every one off, to make sure they get all the bells and whistles (no pun intended).
What about the libraries.... b/f we moved ours was put in a new building... ok
new books? Not so much
What we got:
More DVDs, videos, XBox & PSP games, even Ipod books & ipods themselves on loan!
Those are all nice things but hey, people, let's go to Blockbuster for that stuff!
Here in NC we have an average library, but, mostly full of books!
I spend my entertainment $ as I see fit, I am not forced to do so.
Unfortunately, while most librarians would prefer to buy just books, they cannot get their budgets approved doing so... it is the community that insists libraries purchase "entertainment" items like dvds, cd-roms, etc. What my library has to spend on computer repairs alone galls me...and it is the parents who insist their darlings get to slam the computer mouses up and down until they bust because they are "learning"...
It seems the trend is for LI libraries to spend money on big renovation/reconstruction projects because they "need more space". However, it seems the stack space remains pretty much the same despite the $$$$$ spent on making the "new" library look impressive from the outside. Most of the newly acquired square footage seems to be going to spaces that have nothing to do with books (community rooms for classes and other activities). Personally I couldn't care less if a renovated library now has a 40-foot cathedral ceiling or walls of glass (that just means the darn thing costs more to heat and cool). If there are structural problems, that's one thing but IMHO there is nothing wrong with a good oldfashioned looking library. Just give me more stack space and more books to fill those shelves up with!
A great example is the Bayport/Blue Point library. It is a very small one by today's standards and is nothing fancy. But almost every time I am looking for a particular book via the Suffolk Library System site, guess which library is almost always on the list as having that book in their inventory when most other libraries don't? Little oldfashioned Bayport/Blue Point, that's who. And that goes for new and well as older volumes.
This is very common when it comes to any kind of public works, be it school, road, whatever.
The person who calls the shots on what is "needed" frequently has a friend or friends in the contracting business. And, whatever public hearing is convened to give the people who're paying for their little shindies is usually held at 3 PM on a weekday, or some similarly convenient time.
NC is a great place to raise children. We are from NY and raised six of them there. We just got back from NC and left behind a 2 bedroom 2 and a half bath townshouse-fully furnished with W/D dishwasher-the works-outside deck and storage all for $500.00 a month. We are back in NY renting a dump for $1000.00 and I mean a dump.We were only 20 minutes from Raleigh and Cary. The schools are actually good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by all mixed up
Ok guys. I live in Queens. my wife and we are in out mid 30's and we have a son that is 3yr, he is a special needs kids but high functining. We have 1 salary coming in and it is not cutting it. We had a large settelment come in and we feel if we sell our coop we can buy a nice home or condo in the union area and still have about 50K in the bank. I am in sales and my current job may even be able to transfer us to NC other wise I will find a job or start my own business. We have no family here ( they all passed away). So my question is why is NC so bad. And I need a real answer not an answer like " well it was just not NY" The way I look at it in NC I can offer my family a home with no mortgage, money in the bank and a good lifestyle. Am I crazy? I know money is not everything, but when you have NONE in the bank, its hard to say that.
I will give you some advice, the crime rate in NC is extremely high. Go to WRAL.COM
and punch in crime in Raleigh, NC. Extremely overcrowded and very dangerous schools. No zoning protection whatsoever. Nice neighborhoods can be turned into slums.
Lots of apartments (low income) and cookie cutter houses EVERYWHERE. The Special Education system is a joke. My son has ADHD, and the resources here are abominable.
They lack understanding for any common sense. Also look up the Drought situation. You will pay double for your water bills here. Grocery shopping, better get a second mortgage to afford food down here. No bargains anywhere. Also better lose the NY accent, attitude, etc. You will be in there territory and you are expected to act accordingly. Lastly, very dry, ignorant people. Also the illegal problem has taken this city to its knees. Look up online to verify this, I have. I am NY'er too and I am leaving this place and moving my Yankee butt back home in 2 weeks.
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