“Property taxes a pressing problem” plus 1 more |
| Property taxes a pressing problem Posted: 01 Jan 2011 10:36 AM PST TRENTON — Dolores Galli, like lots of her fellow New Jerseyans, says the state's most pressing problem is its sky-high property taxes. One year into Gov. Chris Christie's term, Galli remains his supporter -- although the Manalapan senior citizen contends not much has been done to address her signature concern. "Nothing's really happened so far since he's been in office. I don't think much has happened," Galli said. "I know it takes time to take over and get things started, but I hope things start to happen." While Trenton politicians tout a new 2 percent cap on yearly property tax increases and arbitration reforms limiting salary increases for public safety workers taking effect today as revolutionary, their impact is going to take time. Next up in the push to tame local spending is a focus on public employees' pensions and health-care benefits early this year, as well as a resolution to how extensively Christie and Democratic lawmakers will reform civil service. But the governor says significant progress has already been made. "There's nothing more important than getting property taxes under control in this state and changing the system, and I think for the first time in a long time we have taken meaningful steps toward doing that," Christie said. There have been various caps on property taxes for years. A 4 percent cap was enacted in 2007 and trimmed by nearly half the rate of increase in property taxes, which rose 3.7 percent in 2009 to a statewide average of $7,319. No official numbers have been released for 2010 yet by the state, but a New Jersey Press Media survey of 566 municipal tax rates found taxes up 3.1 percent to an average $7,544. Factor in the loss of property tax rebates in 2010, which are to be paid as quarterly credits on property tax bills starting in May, and the impact on some 1 million taxpayers this year was 24 percent. "The governor, all he's done is cut aid. He's cut aid to towns. He's cut aid to schools. He's caused the highest tax increase in recent history," Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, D-Gloucester, said. "People are starting to figure it out. People are starting to figure out what he did this year. (2 of 3) "Look, we didn't have any better options in our answers. I could say "fund this' or "fund that,' but I didn't have a place to throw the money in," Sweeney said. "But I'm also not the one who ran for governor saying, "Yes, I know there's a big deficit, but I'm not going to cut municipal aid. I'm not going to cut rebates. I'm not going to cut school aid. I'm not going to raise taxes.' He raised taxes on the poor and seniors, cut rebates, the earned income tax credit." In May, Christie called for a 2.5 percent cap on property tax hikes, with few exceptions, to be added to the state constitution. Democrats objected. Christie wound up calling a special session of the Legislature in July, when a compromise was struck -- a 2 percent cap, keeping exceptions for pensions and health benefits, done as a law. A municipality or school district can ask local voters to exceed the levy cap, but approvals won't require the 60 percent supermajority Christie sought. Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon Jr., R-Monmouth, said the difference between the new cap and past ones is that Christie has insisted on management reforms to make the cap achievable. In the past, he said, interest in reform has melted away. "Nobody wanted to deal with it, but this administration has realized that it's essential. That is a dramatic, dramatic departure from where we were before this governor was sworn in," O'Scanlon said. Sweeney said the arbitration reform affecting police and firefighter unions enacted last month is important but won't help many municipalities in the near future and can't make up for cuts in state aid -- $1.3 billion from schools between the budget Christie inherited and the first he enacted, including the impact from the loss of federal stimulus funds, plus a $466 million cut in municipal aid. "He's giving them this tool kit that he claims is the solution," Sweeney said, "but unless you have a contract up right now, come Jan. 1, what's this arbitration reform done for you for this year's taxes? Or next year, or the following year? Nothing." (3 of 3) Carl Golden, a longtime observer of State House politics who worked for Republican Govs. Tom Kean and Christie Whitman, said the prospect of additional local layoffs and property tax hikes above the 2 percent cap are risky for Christie, particularly if his tool kit demands are met by the Democrats. "People's expectations are going to be that some tangible benefit is coming their way some time in 2011. And that's going to be something he's going to have to deal with if that's something that doesn't happen, or it happens to a very minimal degree," Golden said. O'Scanlon said it isn't reasonable to judge a governor off a single year's increase in property taxes and that the public knows the state is making progress. "There's going to be a window here of opportunity and understanding," said O'Scanlon. "You don't have to be a brain surgeon to realize that before you can stop a bus -- on the way to stopping is slowing down. And this is a pretty big bus filled with a lot of weight. "We didn't accelerate to this disastrous level overnight. We are dealing with the culmination of probably 15 to 20 years of bad policies," O'Scanlon said. ". . . Residents understand that. People will understand that if we're working towards fixing these things, they'll have a level of tolerance. I don't think anyone realistically expected their property taxes to be cut dramatically within a year." Reach Michael Symons at (609) 984-4336 or msymons@gannett.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Baldwin County property tax appeals complete Posted: 31 Dec 2010 10:32 PM PST BAY MINETTE, Ala. — The Baldwin County Board of Equalization adjourned Tuesday after hearing about 1,200 tax appeals from property owners, but significant changes are not expected in the $128 million in tax bills which will be mailed Oct. 1, according to Baldwin County Revenue Commissioner Teddy Faust. Commission staffers now are preparing to begin property assessment for the 2011 tax year, which will include determining property values for oil-contaminated coastal parcels. Valuation notices mailed in June reflected an 8.5 percent decline in property values, and devaluation of 20 percent or more in coastal areas, Faust said. Roughly 3,500 appeals were generated by the valuation notices and most were resolved in informal hearings, bypassing the BOE. Faust said a final abstract will be available next week. "We do not anticipate a significant change from the preliminary abstract, but we have asked the county budget department to allow a 3 percent variation due to appeals," Faust said. Tax bills will be mailed Oct. 1 and become delinquent after Dec. 31. Beginning Oct. 1, county appraisers will begin routine yearly assessment of properties for the 2011 tax billing. They also will attempt to measure coastal market value losses related to the BP oil spill. State Attorney General Troy King asked Faust in a May 12 memo to assist in evaluating lost revenue due to the oil spill. The evidence will be used in presenting claims to BP. Faust earlier said the review will include loss of revenue on rental properties, cost associated with oil cleanup and wide-ranging market activities. "I have no idea if BP is paying for property damage," Faust said Wednesday. "Our goal will be to reflect market value as of Oct. 1. "Issues such as oil or the economy are important factors and it will be extremely difficult to determine how or if they have had an impact on market value." Faust said market value data from September will be closely analyzed in the evaluation process. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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