“N.J. Gov. Christie pushes for property-tax cap at Hoboken town hall meeting” plus 3 more |
- N.J. Gov. Christie pushes for property-tax cap at Hoboken town hall meeting
- Proposed New Hanover budget increases property tax rate by 1.3 cents
- Property tax deadlines are fast approaching
- Planet Election Guide: Property tax hike
| N.J. Gov. Christie pushes for property-tax cap at Hoboken town hall meeting Posted: 17 May 2010 11:35 AM PDT By Mark Maurer/The Jersey JournalMay 17, 2010, 2:26PM
New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie unveiled his proposal to put a constitutional, not statutory cap, on property tax increases to a Hoboken audience on Monday, in the first of a series of town hall meetings throughout the state. In front of a "Cap 2.5 reform" banner on a stage in the Hoboken Catholic Academy auditorium/gymnasium, Christie explained his 33 bills to cap state spending to reduce property taxes, and argued in favor of collective bargaining reform. Local mayors throughout New Jersey have 44 days to decide whether towns or the state would have authority if a 2.5 percent cap were to be put in place. The state property tax has been raised by nearly 80 percent in the past decade, Christie said, and discretionary state spending must be enacted to prevent state government to grow bigger than municipal government. "If all we do is cut the budget and municipal aid and aid to schools, we're just going to be back at the same spot," Christie said. The "mayor's toolkit" would deal with issues once the caps are in place, he said. The invite-only meeting drew about 125 of Hoboken's members of political and non-profit organizations, City Council, Board of Education, among others. "Sopranos" actor and Bergen County resident Vincent Curatola sat in the front row. Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer, a Democrat, made a slip-up at the onset when introducing Christie by calling him "Corzine," referring to the former governor. Christie, laughing it off, responded, "You're not the first one … I'm here and he's not, so why be offended?"
The mayor said she supports the property tax cap as the part of a package of legislation that includes changes to the arbitration process, shared services and the disciplinary process. Included in the "mayor's toolkit" is a proposal that would prevent arbitrators from making contract awards that exceed the cap. The arbitration process with regard to labor union contracts is particularly relevant to Hoboken, which is amid ongoing police union contract negotiations in an early stage of arbitration. "There is nothing partisan about being smart and responsible with money entrusted [to us] by our citizens," Zimmer said. Councilwoman Beth Mason called Zimmer's backing of the cap "hypocritical." In the public segment, she commented that Christie's proposal contains multiple hidden taxes on residents of Hudson County's urban centers, teachers and the retention of hospitals. "I believe in cuts and the concept of sharing challenges, but this goes way too far," Mason said. Christie said he's letting each municipality make the decision. "Unlike [President Barack] Obama and the Republicans and Democrats in Congress, I can't print money," Christie said. "I can spend what's coming in and it's not coming in." A contrast to the present 4 percent cap, the 2.5 percent on municipal, school and county property tax levies would be all-inclusive with no exceptions for rising health insurance or debt payments. Discussion of education and the teachers union was discussed little aside from the public segment. Christie mentioned his interest in a broad expansion of charter schools and did not touch on potential salary cuts to superintendents of public schools. Christie also supports making teachers pay 1.5 percent towards their medical benefits as well as instituting a 4 percent cap on increases in tuition and fees for the state's public colleges and universities. Hoboken resident Ines Garcia-Keim, 53, questioned Christie's motives to worsen conditions for middle class and avoid taxing the wealthiest citizens. "We know it's coming from increased fees from N.J. Transit and fees on the municipal and state level," Garcia-Keim said. Christie said former governor and Hoboken resident Jon Corzine made a political judgment not to raise fares in his re-election year, and then he spent almost all of the state's federal stimulus money. "I'm being left to clean up the mess of these previous decisions," Christie said, "just as Hoboken is left to clean up from its previous decisions." Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. | |
| Proposed New Hanover budget increases property tax rate by 1.3 cents Posted: 17 May 2010 08:57 AM PDT On Monday, County Manager Bruce Shell presented the commissioners with the recommended $254 million spending plan, which mostly holds the line or decreases funding for schools, law enforcement and general government departments. The tax increases are there to pay an increasing debt load and to deal with revenue shortfalls because of the sluggish economy, Shell said. Most of the proposed property tax rate increase of 1.3 cents – which equals roughly $4.4 million in revenue – would be used to pay for debt approved overwhelmingly by voters for park improvements and the Cape Fear Community College expansion. That increase brings the tax rate to 46.55 per $100 assessed value. A homeowner with a $250,000 house would pay an additional $32.50 on their county tax bill for a homeowner with a $250,000 house, or up to $1,163.75 annually. The sales tax increase is due to narrow voter approval of the quarter-cent sales tax in early May. The new tax will add an additional 25 cents to every $100 purchase. Chairman Jason Thompson said the commissioners have received backlash from residents angry that they are asking for more property taxes after voters approved the extra sales tax. But he said that anger ignores the fact that the commissioners said months ago that they would raise the tax rate by at least one penny to pay for the debt. Thompson said many residents incorrectly believed that approving the sales tax would mean no property tax increases. "If that was your understanding, then shame on you for not getting your facts," Thompson said. Under the spending plan, the general fund – which pays for schools, the sheriff's office and most government programs – increases by 1.6 percent, or about $3.9 million over the last year. But most departments will see their budgets shrink while debt payments are increasing. Operating funds for the county schools will decrease by $100,000, from $61.9 million to $61.8 million. The sheriff's office will see its budget increase slightly from $33.6 million to $33.8 million. Cultural and recreational programs, including the libraries, Cape Fear Museum, county parks and Airlie Gardens, will see their combined budgets drop by about 3 percent, from about $9.8 million to $9.47 million. A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for June 7. Chris Mazzolini: 343-2223 On Twitter.com: @StarNewsOnline Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. | |
| Property tax deadlines are fast approaching Posted: 17 May 2010 09:36 AM PDT
| Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Planet Election Guide: Property tax hike Posted: 17 May 2010 07:14 AM PDT Dear Reader - We wish to keep our comments section as open and unfettered a forum as possible. However, in posting below you agree to the following guidelines: Be relevant. Keep your comments germane to the issue. Be respectful of others, the writer and the subjects of the story. Do not post potentially libelous statements or ad hominen attacks; obscene, explicit, or racist language; personal insults or threats. Never use another person's real name to disguise your identity. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act, you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. And while you may post anonymously, your anonymity is not guaranteed. All IP addresses are kept on file by Telluride Daily Planet. TDP is not liable for messages from third parties. TDP reserves the right to edit or remove any posting. Thank you for your comments, Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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