A Towering Example of Citizenship

We need to extend a big “Thank You” to Noland Towers at 130 E. College here in Old Town Independence. Why? Is it because they maintain their buildings & grounds beautifully and provide good, clean, affordable housing for our senior citizens? Heritage House does these things also, so should we thank them? What makes Noland Towers special is the fact that they are paying their taxes and have been for decades. Now this may not sound like such a big deal, but here in Old Town it is. In fact, with the exodus of the hospital, I believe that leaves the Noland Towers property as the largest contributor of property tax revenue for local governments here in Old Town. They are a towering example that for-profit business entities, especially those in the real estate business, do not have to be charities to maintain a successful presence here. Just their occupation of that property generates revenue for schools, libraries, local governments, emergency medical responses, public transportation, and police protection (all elements of quality of life especially important to senior citizens). We hear of the conservative, religious, tea party movement where taxes are considered, in some cases, a sin. I believe just the opposite. It is actually our civic and, yes, our Christian duty to support our community, to support the less fortunate and disadvantaged, to support our most valuable resource (the education of our youth), and to provide planning & programs to make Independence “The Place to Be.” Yes, it is true, here in Independence the disadvantaged also includes retail developers and empty seats at the Events Center but, for the most part, tax revenue goes toward important things. Thanks again to the good folks at Noland Towers, “A Beautiful Place to Live! Have a Nice Day!”