Reading the article about the city taking properties for back taxes, I am struck that as much as we hear about how the city is trying to deal with a homeless problem, here we are adding to the homeless population for a relatively small amount of money, from the folks who can least afford it. It seems lacking in compassion and that is contrary to what I think of Concord.

Charging 8% and then 16% on overdue accounts is usury (the average home mortgage is around 7%). When were these draconian rates put in place? Who said 16% is okay? Just because New Hampshire law says you can charge this rate does not mean the city should take it to the max. This feels a lot like punishment, not resolution. I ask the city council to knock it back a notch and work with people to come to a better solution than taking someone’s home from them. We can do better.

Jack Shields

Penacook