Falmouth Citizen

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Just Compensation
 
“The beneficiaries [of this ruling] are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms”

- Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Conner -
 
Since the founding of the United States, private citizens have had the unalienable right to use their land to their highest and best use unless it created a health problem or created an unacceptable harm to their neighbors (e.g. Building a factory in a residential area). The proposed smart growth greening/open space ordinances seriously erode those constitutional protections. With the Kelo v. City of New London Supreme Court decision of 2005, the Town of Falmouth can take or regulate any private property for the benefit of “buddies,” the politically powerful, or special interest purposes thereby reducing the value of a hapless private property owner at well below market price. While smart growth and economic development sounds good, these types of regulations open the door to corruption – just as Supreme Court Justice O’Conner fears.

What most people do not realize is that there is a high correlation between the wealth of people and their communities, and the legal security of private property rights. We invite you to peruse the articles provided in our background section.

We propose a Just Compensation ordinance to stop the corruptive planning gravy-train our Town Fathers have been implementing over the past ten years. It will not cause the Town of Falmouth to lay off teachers, firemen and police officers as is claimed by the opposition. Instead, it will force the Town to pay private property owners for property value taken when smart growth greening/open space regulations reduce the value of a person’s property. Likewise, it will not prevent the Town from enforcing ordinances that are based on public safety and nuisance. Read the linked Just Compensation Ordinance