FROM
407 WEST
STATE STREET.....
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Now More Than Ever,
You Need To Be Heard
William G. Dressel, Jr.
Executive Director
New Jersey League of Municipalities
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By the time you read this, the Property Tax Reform Convention Task Force will have presented its report and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature. But at the time we write this, we don't know what the recommendations will be. Only this much is certain, the fight for true property tax reform isn't over yet.
We have been extremely impressed by the way the Task Force has gone about its business. Under the leadership of Chairman Carl Van Horn and Vice Chair Michael Cole, the Task Force established a broad consensus on its mandate. The question was not whether it should recommend a convention. The question was how best to structure that convention. At the Task Force's organizational meeting, former Governor McGreevey said, "Long-term reform will only occur when citizens and voters have the capacity and the ability to provide structural change. ... We've turned to a constitutional convention because we no longer have an option. To do nothing except the status quo would be immoral. A property tax constitutional convention is the best, and probably the last hope to fundamentally change our system."
The Task Force, then, held three public hearings, where it heard from over 100 concerned citizens. At its next meeting, former Governors Byrne and Florio expressed their support for the convention and offered thoughtful
We cannot let this chance
for true property tax
reform sink slowly into
the abysmal depths of
legislative delay.
|
recommendations. Various advocacy groups were invited to present testimony at the next two public hearings. Then, scholars and experts in state constitutional law, public finance and citizens' conventions from around the country were invited to share their expertise.
Finally, in late November, the members of the Task Force began to hammer out the cold, hard steel that will form the superstructure of the long-awaited convention. By the end of 2004, it had riveted the frame that the Legislature must, by law, "consider" before the end of February.
At this writing, the opponents of reform have already launched torpedoes, aimed to scuttle this sterling effort. We can expect their assault to intensify over the next two months. We will answer their salvoes as best we can.
But your state legislators need to hear directly from you. We urge you to review the Task Force's Report and Recommendation, which we will post on our website, www.njslom.com, as soon as it is available. If it needs amendment, let your Legislators know. But please, urge them to give the people the right to vote on a property tax reform convention bill this November. We cannot let this chance for true property tax reform sink slowly into the abysmal depths of legislative delay. "To do nothing except the status quo would be immoral."
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FROM
407 WEST
STATE STREET.....
|
|
|
Now More Than Ever,
You Need To Be Heard
William G. Dressel, Jr.
Executive Director
New Jersey League of Municipalities
|
By the time you read this, the Property Tax Reform Convention Task Force will have presented its report and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature. But at the time we write this, we don't know what the recommendations will be. Only this much is certain, the fight for true property tax reform isn't over yet.
We have been extremely impressed by the way the Task Force has gone about its business. Under the leadership of Chairman Carl Van Horn and Vice Chair Michael Cole, the Task Force established a broad consensus on its mandate. The question was not whether it should recommend a convention. The question was how best to structure that convention. At the Task Force's organizational meeting, former Governor McGreevey said, "Long-term reform will only occur when citizens and voters have the capacity and the ability to provide structural change. ... We've turned to a constitutional convention because we no longer have an option. To do nothing except the status quo would be immoral. A property tax constitutional convention is the best, and probably the last hope to fundamentally change our system."
The Task Force, then, held three public hearings, where it heard from over 100 concerned citizens. At its next meeting, former Governors Byrne and Florio expressed their support for the convention and offered thoughtful
We cannot let this chance
for true property tax
reform sink slowly into
the abysmal depths of
legislative delay.
|
recommendations. Various advocacy groups were invited to present testimony at the next two public hearings. Then, scholars and experts in state constitutional law, public finance and citizens' conventions from around the country were invited to share their expertise.
Finally, in late November, the members of the Task Force began to hammer out the cold, hard steel that will form the superstructure of the long-awaited convention. By the end of 2004, it had riveted the frame that the Legislature must, by law, "consider" before the end of February.
At this writing, the opponents of reform have already launched torpedoes, aimed to scuttle this sterling effort. We can expect their assault to intensify over the next two months. We will answer their salvoes as best we can.
But your state legislators need to hear directly from you. We urge you to review the Task Force's Report and Recommendation, which we will post on our website, www.njslom.com, as soon as it is available. If it needs amendment, let your Legislators know. But please, urge them to give the people the right to vote on a property tax reform convention bill this November. We cannot let this chance for true property tax reform sink slowly into the abysmal depths of legislative delay. "To do nothing except the status quo would be immoral."
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Editorial from New Jersey Municipalities, Volume 81, Number 6, June 2004
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