I get letters.
Well, not exactly letters, since no one writes letters anymore, but the modern equivalent—email.
Most email is complimentary of something we did or printed; some is critical. An occasional email offers unsolicited advice, which I often find less helpful than confounding (why would I change my magazine’s design based upon a message that pops into my inbox from some guy I’ve never met?).
Recently, I received an email from a fellow from Virginia who had considered buying property in Harrisburg. As he tells it, his mother lives here, and, when he visits, he’s tempted by what he sees.
“Wonderful Victorian houses, solid houses with character and mighty cheap,” he wrote.
He changed his mind, though, after checking out his mom’s property tax bill, which was the real reason he sent me the email. He wanted to know why it was so high and suspected it was due to poor property tax collection.
I responded back that, no, lax collection isn’t a big problem here. The relatively high tax rate is due more to a limited tax base, too many nonprofits and non-taxable properties, an enormously indebted school system, a relatively poor city with tremendous service needs, and far too many undeveloped lots and unimproved buildings.
So, count Jack from Charlottesville as among those who won’t be relocating to Harrisburg anytime soon, bringing his human and financial capital with him.
Unfortunately, there’s little Harrisburg can do to lower its tax rate in the near-term (if ever). However, Harrisburg (the government, the people) can do a few things to make this place more attractive, to entice those who may decide that living here in one of our beautiful (cheap) Victorian houses is worth a few extra bucks in taxes.
Encourage responsible development. As I’ve said before in this space, Harrisburg desperately needs people (and their money), which is the only way to keep taxes in check and provide better public safety, social services and infrastructure to the people who live here now. And, in Harrisburg, there’s room to spare as much of the residential land consists of vacant lots and empty and blighted buildings. For a city, this is an unnatural, toxic state that punishes existing residents with rising taxes, poor services, lack of employment opportunities and deserted, dangerous streets. Developers and business people need to be encouraged, not denounced, for taking tremendous risks investing in a city that most others won’t touch. Like all cities, Harrisburg is not a static creature. It requires constant redevelopment and re-investment to continue to be a viable place to live and work. Without this, without a flow of new people and capital across generations, it will crumble and die—as it once almost did.
Drop the provincialism. How would you describe the current state of Harrisburg? If you were to attend a City Council meeting, you might come away thinking that things are so good that they should stay exactly the way they are. Fear of change, fear of outsiders and a zero-sum, us vs. them mentality often pervade these meetings. Council members must realize that they represent all the people of Harrisburg, not just those in their immediate circles. They also must understand that Harrisburg will never be able to pay its current bills—much less provide better services to its residents—unless it grows its tax base, which means attracting people and businesses into the city. Harrisburg must be open to new residents, new ideas and new, better ways of doing things.
Make the most of Harrisburg’s inherent strength as a cozy, quaint city located on a magnificent river. Harrisburg has many assets that it poorly utilizes. City Island, Italian Lake and Reservoir Park are underused; could-be charming streets and alleys are run down and bleak; litter and dumping are rampant; and the condition of the river walk and steps is an embarrassment. Yes, it’s great that the city is blessed with a magnificent Capitol building, which draws in visitors and workers. Harrisburg, however, would be better served polishing up its small-city charm instead of indulging in a conceit that it’s a very important capital city.
In my email back, I told Jack that, despite the tax situation, he still should consider poking around Harrisburg, that there are some great things happening here. Indeed, the city has come a long way just in my time here. The budget is balanced, major projects are coming online, and the mayor and council, while often at odds, at least aren’t at war. Many of the vacant and underutilized historic buildings downtown and in Midtown have been—or are being—redeveloped and reoccupied. In 2015, Harrisburg’s long-neglected infrastructure will begin to get fixed. For the first time in a long time, at least among some residents, there’s a sense of hope, a belief that things just might get better.
I don’t think I won my argument with Jack, as he remained turned off by the local tax situation. I hope, though, that eventually we’ll snag him, that Harrisburg will become friendly enough, open enough, clean enough, vibrant enough and charming enough that he won’t be able to stay away.
Lawrance Binda is editor-in-chief of TheBurg.
