Bow is Becoming Unaffordable
Thursday, February 13, 2014
As we are faced with proposals for higher spending and taxes again in Bow this year, we should consider the declining value of the coal-powered power plant.
The valuation of PSNH’s Merrimack Station recently dropped by another $50 million. From 1996 to the present, the assessed value of Merrimack Station has dropped from $303 million to just under $100 million. Because of market conditions and federal policies disfavoring coal as a fuel, Merrimack Station no longer generates power year round. Bow can no longer assume that Merrimack Station will be a substantial contributor to the tax base.