PLAINFIELD — The idea of a split tax rate is being met with strong opposition from some town officials, including members of the Board of Assessors, who convened Monday with the Finance Committee to discuss whether to retain a single tax-rate in Plainfield.

The transition to a commercial split tax rate had been envisioned by the Finance Committee to alleviate the burden of residential taxpayers who are among the top five highest residential taxpayers in the state due to low property valuations, according to town officials. The idea was not to collect more revenue, but to alter the ratios of tax funding so that larger taxpayers in town would carry more of the tax burden, thus alleviating residents and small businesses which make up the vast majority of the town’s tax base.

Some town officials are wary about the idea of a split tax rate for residential and commercial properties and see it as short-sighted. Believing the fallout would result in residents and small businesses actually paying more in the long run, they expressed a preference for more growth and development in the town of approximately 600 people.

Board of Assessors member Ronald Weeks said he sees the move as “cutting our nose to save our face.” Since Swift River has already expressed financial hardships, he projects that imposing a heavier tax would only hasten their way out of town.

“So say we do that [approve split tax rate], it gets adopted in the town. You turn around and you save $300 on your taxes this year … but then next year, it’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Over there at Swift River, they go out of business, and file Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Now next year, you’ve got a split rate and your taxes are going up by $700,” he said.

He continued: “Our best goal to sustain a maintainable operation is to continue to encourage people to buy property and build homes in Plainfield and to continue to expand our growth, which we do have a fair amount of land left for that.”

The Finance Committee suggested that the town’s top taxpayers, namely the Swift River rehab facility, and Eversource would be most impacted by the new rate, but the committee was unable to confirm specifics as to how much their taxes would increase with a split tax rate.

Finance Committee members said while they might keep exploring the idea of a split tax rate, there’s not set timetable for when such a change would occur.

Finance Committee member Roberta Wooldridge agreed with Weeks and said it would be beneficial to the town to see growth of 200 or 300 people and talked about how amenable the town is to operating one’s own small business.

“The idea that you can buy a home and run a business from your home … once you get east of the river, you don’t just get to hang up a shingle and be self-employed without all sorts of problems,” said Wooldridge, who owns Hilltown Hybrids.

“This tax rate, if anything, would probably be the biggest detriment” she said. “One of the reasons I stayed [in town] is because I said, ‘ya know, with the flat rate, I can have commercial and I can live there. And I could have an apartment and rent there. I don’t know where in the state you could do that many things off of one piece of land.”

In response, David Honneus of the Finance Committee commented that “What makes Plainfield so attractive is the local population density, and the wonderful old houses.” It’s those very things, he said, “that create this problem” in trying to bring in tax revenue.

Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com