Dear Mayor:
It seems that an agreement between Senate and Assembly Leaders on an annual appropriations act has been reached. As far as we can see, throughout the budget negotiations, there has been little consideration given to our repeated requests to use some of the previously unanticipated $1.2 Billion in revenue, of which Treasurer McCormac informed the Legislature on May 24, to more fully fund municipal property tax relief programs. (See our letter of June 6 for details.) And there was no consideration given to long term property tax reform, through Senate action on the special citizens’ convention.
In other words, local officials are being given every reason to expect no help from the Legislature, in their efforts to maintain current services without significant property tax increases. And our property tax burdened citizens are being given no hope for progress towards meaningful reform.
The insensitivity of some State policy makers to the real problems imposed on real people by our State’s chronic over-reliance on regressive property taxes is inexplicable. Though the facts speak for themselves, some in power still choose to ignore them. But senior and disabled citizens struggling to remain in the communities that they helped to build, young couples hoping to realize the dream of home ownership in their native State, widows and widowers hoping to avoid the painful day when they’ll be forced to tear up carefully cultivated roots, leave family and life-long friendships behind, and relocated to a State with a more rational tax policy – real people with real problems cannot ignore those facts. And the feigned ignorance of their elected leaders is anything but bliss to them.
As you know, the failure to more fully fund municipal property tax relief programs will mean service cuts, tax increases or some combination of the two.
And, as you know, the Senate’s failure to even consider (despite Acting Governor Codey’s promise to “consider … and act upon…”) the citizens property tax convention initiative, will mean more tough choices for more good citizens who love our Garden State and want to remain here.
Though the Legislature is expected to vote on the budget tonight or at some point over the weekend, details on the agreement are not yet available. We will write again after we have a chance to review the bill. Please contact Jon Moran at 609-695-3481, ext. 21, if you have any questions.
