Dear Colleagues:

On February 12, your League Executive Board met with Governor Corzine, DOT Commissioner Kolurri and their staff to raise important questions regarding the Administration plan to address the State’s serious fiscal problems and proposed solutions. The Governor’s Chief of Staff responded in writing, and we have posted the answers on our website. We have also posted the state commissioned study that estimates the effects of the proposed toll increases on local road usage. In addition, our Heavy Truck Task Force is currently looking into that potentially serious consequence.   

But, local roads and toll payers are not the only potential victims of the plan. This budget proposal marks the seventh straight year in which the New Jersey Legislature adopts an Appropriations Act that under-funds key municipal property tax relief programs (CMPTRA and Energy Taxes). State statutes require annual inflationary adjustments in those programs. For five years, funding remained flat. Then last year, municipal property tax relief funding finally increased – by 2 percent. By adopting these budgets, our local property taxpayers have been denied over $283.7 million of relief, over the past years. That money went to fund other state priorities - priorities other than property tax relief.

We agree with the Governor. Now is the time for transformational change.

Unfortunately, however, property tax reform just is not as important in Trenton as we may have been led to believe.