Could Hampshire rebates backfire?

I could not believe what I read in Larissa Chinwah's Sept. 28 story on the village of Hampshire offering a $3,500 rebate "for buyers of qualifying new construction homes in an effort to spur property sales."

If I was a current taxpaying Hampshire homeowner trying to sell my existing home, I would be livid. Why should the village help the developers sell their homes with monies from homebuilder transition fees, which are meant for "major taxing bodies, including the village and school, fire protection, park and library districts, until the property's tax rate is stabilized," according to the article. Aren't those fees meant to help build schools and infrastructure to support the new homes?

The rebate certainly makes it more difficult for existing homeowners to sell their homes, but also begs the question: Won't all Hampshire taxpayers eventually have to pay taxes to replace the rebated transition fees? Who will be financially helped or hurt by the rebate program? That is the question.

John Jilek

Sleepy Hollow