Mayor: Amish Builders Reject Permits & Insurance…They Aren’t On “A Fair Playing Field”
The mayor of a village in Tioga County, New York is drawing attention to a complaint that has existed for a long time – that Amish contractors don’t have to follow the same rules as non-Amish contractors. More:
WAVERLY — After tempers flared last month during a Town of Barton meeting in which contentions arose from whether the Amish should be required to obtain building permits and other necessary documents related to building requirements, officials from the Village of Waverly Tuesday looked to be proactive on the issue as it pertained to its own borders.
“I want to start this off by saying that I have nothing against the Amish,” Waverly Mayor Keith Correll said. “But they don’t carry insurance, workers’ compensation, or contractor licenses, and I think that presents a problem.”
The Amish are generally exempt from providing workman’s compensation as it’s considered a form of insurance – much like Social Security. However, these rules can vary by state, and, like Social Security, some may end up paying regardless.
But you can understand the gripes that non-Amish contractors, who enjoy no such exemptions, have when competing against the often lower-priced Amish bidders.
Mayor Correll seems to be voicing a concern present in his community – and no doubt not only in his community.
There were also complaints that some Amish were also refusing to get permits for construction jobs on their own properties. They apparently framed it in existential terms:
In Barton, Amish residents refused to sign a building permit for the homes they wished to construct on their properties. One of the residents had stated that “we can’t follow these codes and remain Amish.”
That response suggests to me this is a more conservative group. In certain more-populous, more-regulated communities (I’m thinking in Lancaster County, for one), that’s probably going to be a tougher row, or closer to impossible, to get away with something like that.
Correll wants to see changes in his community:
Nevertheless, Correll said the board should review the matter to ensure a fair playing field for all workers.
“Every other contractor needs to have a license and workers’ comp,” he said. “I know the argument is religious freedom, and I respect that, but the rules are there for a reason. Maybe the answer is to have the homeowner carry the required insurance, but we need to look at it.”
It will be interesting to see where this goes, and what if any compromises can be made to satisfy the Mayor’s, and others’ concerns.
Revenue shortfall the real reason?
I like the idea of the homeowner paying the insurance and permit fees for contracted work by the Amish. If they want the Amish to do the work, then they need to be told up front that it would come at added expense. As far as permit requirements for improvements on their own property, the Amish should be exempt. I have a sneaking suspicion that the government’s real aggravation is the loss of revenue they’re experiencing with the Amish not paying everything that the English are paying.
permits
if the reason a permit is needed to build on one own’s land is because a permist is required to make sure the building is up to code and safe for whatever it will be used for (esp if it is a house), than I agree they should also be required to get a permit. kf everyone else needs a permit to build in their own property, than the Amish should not be allowed to be exempt. freedom of religion is very importants, but when using freedom of religion is possibly putting people at risk (i.e. if it is not up to code, for example and is a fire hazard then not only are the inhabitants at risk, but also first responders (in case of fire). freedom of religion is one thing, but it should not give ppl the right to say safety laws (for example) do not apply to them, due their religous beliefs. if someone wants to usze freedom of religion to put others at risk (for example not vaccinating and then put the public at risk, esp. for example those who are immuno comprised), then they should also not be allowed to then go out into the public i.e. stores, restaurants, etc. what is to stop someone from saying it “well it is part of my religion to marry a child, or take more than 1 wife”? so then if one group gets exempt due to the “beliefs” then we either need to make exceptions for everyone’s beliefs, whether we agree with it or not….. or no body you can’t have it both way. so this I agree, they need to vet permits and have a lisence to be a contractor, just like everyone else in this country.
Permits
No, I am with the Amish on this. It is a money grab, pure and simple.
I agree with Kim Warner
Kim I absolutely agree with you it will d a money grab and nothing more. They want people to get permits and license than they need to stop taxing everyone for property they already paid for. Yearly taxes is wrong we already payed tax when we bought our property we should be paying taxes every year.
taxes
I mostly agree but if taxes are no longer required (property) how would things like roads, infrastructure, schools, etc. be paid for to upkeep?
Permits
It is absolutely 100% a money grab!
Swiss cheesing Freedom of Religion
A: Is it right for “freedom of religion” to require that USA taxpayers fund killing and theft in a political entity not part of USA, and that that same religious group is specially & specifically protected against anyone who might complain about the killing, theft, or demand that taxpayers support it?
what entity?
what entity are you talking about? if if very other person in the US, regardless of religion has to follow certain safety laws, then everyone needs to follow those laws there should be no “free pass” to anyone. no one is talking about a political entity outside the US so your question honestly makes no sense….. so there for if they should be allowed to build in their own land w/on a permit, than no one needs a permit yet that is not the law.
Vaccines? Are you kidding me!? The covid shot is nothing more than a kill shot and a money maker for hospitals, doctors and big pharma. I can’t believe you are still going on about this. If you are “immune compromised” then stay the hell home! I know people who died right after getting the shot, had bad reactions, turbo cancers and anything they already had was made worse because each successive shot further debilitates the immune system. The other vaccines given to children cause AUTISM. How many now? Used to be rare but now it’s one in 32? The “control group” for the unvaccinated IS the Amish. Healthier children because they haven’t been poisoned with aluminum and mercury and every other metal and poisons put in the shots. The elites want to reduce the population and sheep likes you,.. we you know what they say about sheep. So, go get a few more shots and let me know how you make out.
stay home?
stay home? what if they have to go to work, or school or have a life? have kids? get groceries? so they should be made to be stuck at home like a prisoner b/c some ppl don’t give a damn about their health? guess what? measles? polio? those were almost extint in this country until ppl decided to follow fake medical advice and now it is in the rise again. and I didn’t mention covid so why bring it up? i said vaccines in general. and I know ppl who didn’t get the cogud vaccine and got covid and died. maybe anti vaxxers should have ti stay home!
$$
It all comes down to the money that the government isn’t getting for these permits.
$$
Absolutely! People who aren’t buying permission from the government are a thorn in its side, and a thorn in the sides of the people who caved in and did that. Maybe the people who are caving in and doing that need to look at a different angle instead of blaming those who aren’t going along with the money grab.
persécution
LI y a dans le monde beaucoup de persécution contre les hommes de paix
orgueil mensonge haine division et bien plus .Ne vous laisser pas intimider
n ayez pas peur avancer Jésus est la courage et prier…
Yes, its a money grab and another way to put pressure on the Amish to get them to ‘modernize’ and assimilate.
Permits, License, Insurance
I feel if Amish people should do what they been doing as long as it’s on their land. But to bid on a non Amish land to do a job then they should not be doing that cause that’s not fair to the non Amish builders that is require to carry permits, License and Insurance.
All about the $$
This is absolutely about money. This has nothing to do with safety, or ensuring that anything is done just perfectly. Look at all the licensed and permitted people who do shoddy work and get away with a; they bought all the paperwork and jumped through all the hoops and did as they were told, and they still do crappy work and get away with it. So it’s not about any kind of guarantee here.. this is all about the fact that the government isn’t getting more money out of people who actually work for it. In other words, the Amish aren’t paying their government extortion in order to be allowed to breathe the air here.
The weight of the nanny State on everybody’s shoulders gets heavier everyday, and this is a classic example of that. ” We’re from the government and we’re here to help you”… LOL. This is nothing more than extortion, and of course the contractors who bowed down and got on their knees and handed over their money to these parasites for a piece of paper are angry. Angry. The problem is they’re blaming the wrong people for their frustration.
Amish Are Different
I, too, do not have anything personal against the Amish, however, when they build something, there ought to be abiding by a standard agreement since they ARE living here in America where there are many laws meant for the good of all concerned.
Considering how the Amish do great work within their craft (it’s usually on a higher level than most builders go by) and the fact they are Americans like the rest of us legal citizens, they should be required to comply with basic ordinances as merely a technicality, by being polite and responsible citizens… if anything at all.
We “English” have to comply with building codes whenever we are constructing a building, whether it’s for habitation or for storage. It’s meant to ensure people’s safety during & after the job is completed, but mostly when the structure is used. They are American citizens just as we are, so they need to comply by obtaining a building permit then making sure the basics are covered.
IF this was a religious thing, it’d be different, but we’re not talking about that; we’re dealing with constructing something which is on a whole different level. How they practice their faith or how they live their lives is on them, and IF they don’t want to pay for liability insurance, that too is on them. They normally take care of their own fairly well, but safety is a universal principle that we ALL need to abide by.
100%
thank you! this is what I was trying to convey (and got jumped on for it). exactly! if they are in US they need to obey the local laws and ordinances, esp if everyone who is not amish has to do the same. this is not against the amish. it is about safety. if they (or anyone) build a building with out the proper permits and inspections, etc. and built it shoddy and it say causes a fire due to something like faulty wiring, then any 1st responder who goes in there is at even greater risk.
Amish Builders
You can say what you wish about Amish and the level playing field ( no social security , worker’s comp and building permits ) ; and I doubt the last one .
Where Amish builders have a big advantage is that they have pride in their work , and give an honest day’s work.