property tax reform 
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Mon Apr 09, 2007 at 09:01:05 AM EDT
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The calendar may say April, but it feels like winter. Here's a picture I took yesterday to remind you that the trees are in blossom:
The Inquirer asks why wealthy and powerful men like State Senator Wayne Bryant feel the need to break the law.
The New York Times has a very interesting profile of Washington Township and how its Smart Growth plan worked too well.
Herb Jackson and John McAlpin explain the state's pension problems (again.)
Don Imus continues to apologize for his comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team. Rev. Sharpton, Rev. Jackson, and the NAACP all called for his resignation:
James E. Harris, president of the New Jersey chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, demanded Sunday that Imus "resign or be terminated immediately."
Wayne DeAngelo will run for Assembly in LD14. Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein is running for reelection, and Seema Singh is running for State Senate.
Republicans in LD12 want it chosen for the Clean Elections Program.
A dailyrecord.com headline says "Property-tax refunds mean more paperwork," but the article says "the process for receiving the rebates will be the same as in past years." In future years there may be a direct credit. On the other hand, David Rebovich at politicsnj.com says we still don't have meaningful reform.
Okay, it's not politics, but I listened to the Devils-Islanders game on the radio yesterday, and will never forget it. The game was meaningless for the Devils and essential for the Islanders to make the playoffs:
Protecting a 2-1 lead late in regulation time, the Islanders saw it slip away when the Devils pulled goalie Scott Clemmensen for an extra skater and John Madden tied the game with nine-tenths of a second remaining.
Fortunately the Islanders won the overtime shootout, so both teams make the playoffs.
This is an open thread, so let us know what you think!
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Wed Apr 04, 2007 at 07:57:23 AM EDT
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Governor Corzine signed the property tax reform package. You'll recall that it offers a substantial credit to property owners (with a high income cutoff) and a cap on annual property tax increases of 4%. You can find analysis in any paper today.
Carla Katz and Rae Roeder dropped their lawsuit to block the CWA union vote on the proposed state workers contract. The CWA union claims votes are being cast in "unprecedented numbers."
President McCormick spoke to Rutgers students and the budget situation looks poor. The Outstanding Scholars Recruitment Program has been eliminated due to lack of funds.
Wayne Bryant returned from Mexico and was told to surrender his passport.
The AP reports that the military is investigating the death of a New Jersey marine in Iraq.
Cherry Hill may require businesses to provide bins for cigarette butts. The reason:
It also comes in the wake of last month's three-alarm fire that destroyed the Chili's and Porterhouse Steaks & Seafood restaurants on Route 70. Fire officials determined the blaze started from a lit cigarette butt flicked into mulch near Chili's takeout door.
So be careful if your mulch gets dry, not that you have to worry today.
Cumberland County Democrats chose Joe Pepitone to run for freeholder, but there is no word yet if Jeff Van Drew will run for Senate or Assembly. He should announce tomorrow.
The Rutgers women lost in the national championship game. But no occasion is complete withour a Steve Lonegan complaint.
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Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 12:16:21 PM EST
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New Jersey's dysfunctional system of government does not just result in higher taxes, but very well may encourage sprawl.
Simply, New Jersey's over-reliance on property taxes to fund government -- in particular, its schools -- creates a ratable chase that has combined with a tradition of home rule on land use to clog our roades and chew up what little open space we have left.
Basically, the property tax system puts municipalities in the position of trying to attract large taxpaying properties to defray the cost of local services. And they can do so without considering what happens outside their borders.
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Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 09:36:15 PM EST
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Chris Robertson at Warren Reports, inspired by his state's property tax problem, makes a simple proposal:
As far as I can tell, nobody is talking about what may be the simplest and fairest solution, which also encourages individual home ownership: a progressive property tax system.
The concept of a progressive property tax is simple, and just like income tax. The more income you make pushes you into a higher tax bracket. For property taxes, we could likewise set brackets in terms of the owner's income.
Alternatively, the brackets could be set in terms of the assessed valuation of your property or the total square footage of your property, both in comparison with the the median property in your state or town. By pegging it to the median, rather than an arbitrary number, we protect against the general increase in property values over time.
What do you think of these proposals? I tend to think the biggest problem with property taxes is relying on them as the main source of school funding, and secondly, the poor structure of New Jersey government. But given existing tax levels, would income or property brackets be fairer? With the income test portion of the new 'credit' program, we have a small step in this direction.
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Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 11:54:11 AM EST
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State Senator Stephen Sweeney on the failure of consolidation of local governments and services:
"These people want a Mercedes-Benz, but they only have Oldsmobile money. And you know Oldsmobile went out of business."
First Roberts, now Sweeney. South Jersey owns the property tax quote game!
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Sat Jan 27, 2007 at 03:15:39 PM EST
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Assembly bill A1 on property taxes has been introduced. Republicans complain that the scheduled Monday vote does not leave them enough time to review it. After all, our legislators are only paid to work part time! You can review the bill yourself in HTML or PDF.
My LD3 Assemblymen Burzichelli and Fisher, along with LD1 Jeff Van Drew and LD37 Valerie Vainieri Huttle, have sponsored a bill to help fund county Offices of Disabilities. Huttle of course is being threatened in the LD37 conflict with boss Joe Ferriero.
A good article details the reactions to the affordable housing ruling in Mercer County. Town officials are worried by the uncertainty, yet more delays in the process, and possible higher obligations. Housing advocates are pleased since they say the previous plan was unconstitutional and:
"It's really about trying to not allow kids in the town because then they have to pay for schools," Gordon said. "The courts said they can't do that. That's the foundational part of the doctrine that's been around for 30 years.
"We're really hoping that Gov. Corzine sets up a process where we can meet together and work things out," Gordon said. "We don't want another round of litigation. We're hoping that in that six-month period we can come up with something we can all agree with."
Rep. Frank Pallone and Rutgers Provost Steven Diner testified in favor of merging Rutgers, NJIT, and UMDNJ into a single super research university. It's known that there would substantial upfront costs to the state.
Due to another tragic traffic accident, New Jersey schools are thinking of stopping seniors from driving to school. There's no question that young drivers face a lot of risk, but as a stereotypical Gen-Xer, I see this is yet another example of how baby boomers are trying to take away the rights they fought for in their youth.
The state is considering requiring flu and pneumonia vaccines for more kids. Naturally, groups that think vaccinations are responsible for autism, hyperactivity, and other ills are opposed.
Since misery loves company, I recommend this New York Times article on how New York Governor Spitzer and Assembly Speaker Silver are already feuding. They're both Democrats, of course.
Today is the last day to purchase discounted tickets to Garden State Equality's Legends 2007 dinner.
Ringwood residents have been warned not to eat too much squirrel. Thanks to a toxic waste dump, the squirrels are containated with lead.
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Fri Jan 26, 2007 at 07:13:08 PM EST
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( - promoted by Hopeful)
The author is an Assemblyman serving the 4th Legislative DistrictEarlier this month, a Washington Township School Board Meeting was turned into a political spectacle because of a proposed bill that would create a county administrative school district pilot program.
The idea for this bill came as a result of the legislature's special session on property taxes held last year. The committee that studied public school funding found that, on average, 55 percent of a homeowner's property taxes go to fund schools. Furthermore, New Jersey has among the highest administrative, non-classroom school spending in the country, and these expenses are a major contributing factor to our highest-in-the-nation property taxes. That said, we as public officials would be remiss if we did not seriously review well-intentioned legislation aimed at reforming the system.
Unfortunately, those attempts at reform suffered a serious setback at the Jan. 16 meeting. I was greatly disturbed by the spread of misinformation which preceded the meeting. This effort - orchestrated by various special interests groups intent on derailing any reform effort - alarmed parents and children and created panic within our community. Most disturbing of all, their scare tactics look to be succeeding in depriving us all of much-needed property tax reform.
The bill at issue would enable one county in our State to consolidate the various administrative functions that are currently carried out separately by its component school districts. So, for instance, instead of Gloucester County's 28 school districts all purchasing food and supplies separately and negotiating for insurance, transportation and professional services like lawyers and engineers individually, those functions would be carried out centrally by the county administration.
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Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 10:33:13 PM EST
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I'm very concerned with the direction this property tax plan is taking. The governor is pushing selling off (or "leasing") the turnpike, property along highways, and (oddly) the lottery. Now, at the New Jersey State League of Municipalities:
Gov. Corzine yesterday told mayors concerned about a proposed 4 percent annual cap on property-tax increases to fight for alternative sources of revenue - such as impact fees imposed on developers - to avoid the service cuts and layoffs they predict would result from the cap.
I find this astounding. It seems towns are now expected to fund necessary government services by selling off any remaining open space to developers. That's not a model of sustainable government. To be sure, mayors certainly must aim to keep property tax increases below 4%, but it seems to me that Corzine wants to put enforcing his campaign promises on someone else, while selling off the state's assets. And as njdem says, it looks like most of the government reforms are falling apart. I don't think selling assets without a longterm fix is a good idea.
If I'm wrong, please explain it to me.
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Tue Dec 12, 2006 at 07:43:00 AM EST
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Over the past few weeks Blue Jersey has been focused on pushing the legislature to pass a true marriage equality bill instead of civil unions. Newspaper polls show well over 40 percent support for same-sex marriage and overwhelming support for civil unions. The Garden State Equality Poll poll put the numbers even higher.
Many legislators have come out in support of marriage equality, and lament the fact that they don't have the ability to vote on it. The saddest thing is that the Senate Judiciary committee vice chair Sen. John Girgenti (D-Passiac) and chair Sen. John Adler (D-Camden) both said they wanted to go further.
Last thing I heard was that the Chair got to decide what bills come up in committee, and when votes are held. But the two most powerful members of the committee, along with some others, wanted marriage equality but went for civil unions instead.
And now we get to what the marriage Equality fight and the Property Tax Reform Fight have in common -- the legislators know what is the right thing to do for the people of New Jersey yet are unwilling to do it. They are more worried about the public outcry from a minority than with doing what is right.
And that's not a terrible thing most of the time, since more often than not we don't want huge changes. If the legislature was constantly making huge changes we'd be unable to figure out the rules, businesses would want to go elsewhere, and the state would be a mess.
For property taxes there is not a consensus on what to do in order to change the structure of our governments (local, school, county, state, etc.) to make a change, and so a Constitutional Convention is necessary. A group of serious people who will not face the electorate again to keep their jobs can study the problem and come up with a comprehensive solution.
But for ME all they have to do is bite the bullet and vote the way they already know is right. They appear to have the votes, they have the mandate from the Supreme Court, and the public is at worst not all that opposed and at best very supportive.
So they should pass out two bills: first, one that guarantees equal marriage rights for same- and opposite-sex couples; second, one that creates a Constitutional Convention to fix out governmental structures and reduce the tax burden.
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Tue Dec 12, 2006 at 07:38:54 AM EST
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Open Thread: What's on your mind, Blue Jersey?
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Tue Nov 14, 2006 at 09:58:13 AM EST
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- Several congressmen from Our Fair State are protesting a proposed plan to lease oil rights in federal waters off of Virginia, citing our clean beaches and ocean environment as a draw for tourists and expressing concerns about oil spills.
- The Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards yesterday did vote unanimously to investigate Wayne Bryant, who is already being investigated by the U.S. Attorney's office. Bryant's lawyer has requested the legislative probe wait until the current probe is completed. The smell is overwhelming, isn't it?
- The Joint Legislative Committee on Public Employee Benefits Reform will recommend raising the retirement age for new state workers to 62 (currently 55), switching to a 401K type of retirement plan instead of pensions, and requiring all state employees to contribute more to their health plans. Union leaders insist that pension and health benefits should be changed only in the contracts, not by legislative measures.
- The Committee on Government Consolidation and Shared Services is shying away from creating county school districts and instead looking at creating county superintendents to oversee local school officials and spending. Also, the idea of consolidating fire elections with other municipal elections is getting slammed by firefighters, who are lobbying heavily to keep their separate voting day. So, we should add yet another layer of bureaucracy and maintain the status quo with an extra election- exactly how will this lower my property taxes?
- Recently released census data shows Mexicans are the poorest among Our Fair State's immigrant groups and are worse off here than in any other state. Other Spanish-speaking immigrant groups are comparatively more affluent, but there is still a large economic gap between white & Asian groups and black & Latino groups.
- The State Senate Judiciary Committee approved yesterday a bill to add "irreconcilable differences" as a reason for divorce, therefore not requiring an 18-month separation in order to divorce with no fault. The identical bill was approved by the Assembly's committee last month.
What's on your mind today, Blue Jersey?
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Tue Oct 17, 2006 at 09:45:28 AM EDT
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- The investigation of State Senator Wayne Bryant is expanding, with federal investigators subpoenaing financial records from Department of Children and Families' dealings with Bryant's former employer UMDNJ, and records from the Office of Legislative Services about public agencies' business with Bryant's law firm.
- The Nat'l Republican Senate Committee is pouring more money into Tom Kean JUNIOR's senate run, now to re-run an ad about ethics questions. No comment was made about the irony of JUNIOR redirecting attention with ethics questions.
- Assembly Democrats are hearing updates and ideas from the special committees set up this summer to investigate property tax reform, hoping to meet the deadline they set of one month from now. Meanwhile, state Sen. Bill Gormely has proposed revamping the health insurance program for public employees, which would face strong opposition from the unions.
- Moving forward: Lucile Davy is officially the state education commissioner now, while State Supreme Court Associate Justice James Zazzali has been approved by the State Senate judiciary committee to move to chief justice and Appellate Division Justice Helen Hoens has been approved to move to the high court.
- Mayors are still allowed to collect fees for performing weddings. An ethics violation determination by the Department of Community Affairs has been dropped.
- The Borough Council in Keyport is expected to consider a proposed ordinance that would fine landlords $1000 if they have units rented to illegal immigrants. "This is a racist ordinance with the sole purpose of getting rid of all Latinos in Keyport," said the Rev. Miguel Rivera, president of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy & Christian Leaders. "We are ready to file a lawsuit in federal court should it ever be adopted."
- Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ has settled a class-action suit brought by 40,000 doctors who said they were shortchanged by Our Fair State's largest HMO. Horizon agreed to "continue significant business practice improvements" and will pay the doctors' lawyer fees.
- Atlantic City's Steel Pier Amusement Park closed its doors this past weekend. Trump Entertainment plans to redevelop the pier, but into what is as yet unknown.
- Feel crowded in this morning? About 7:46AM today, the United States population crossed the 300 million mark.
- Today is the LAST DAY to register to vote to be eligible to vote in the election on Nov. 7th. Go here if you need information, and pass it on! You can also go vote now, if you'd like- no reason is needed to vote absentee in Our Fair State.
Open Thread: What's on your mind today, Blue Jersey?
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Fri Jul 28, 2006 at 12:00:20 PM EDT
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( - promoted by jmelli)
Tomorrow Governor Jon Corzine will address the New Jersey legislature at the opening of a special session to address the property tax system that is destroying our Garden State. I'm not going to listen to it, because in my opinion he should just look at the legislators, shake his head and say, "You know, we need to do this as a Constitutional Convention. Put it on the ballot. Thanks." Then go back to his office.
Why? Because the effort to reform the over-burdensome, anti-progressive and unfair tax system in New Jersey should not be left in the hands of people who need to seek reelection.
People who want to be reelected must, almost by definition, avoid supporting legislation or solutions that will anger their electorate. As a result these elected officials tend to back popular band-aid solutions instead of advocating wholesale, radical change.
This is not any individual legislator's fault, or either party's. Republican (lower case r) systems require that legislators be at least in part responsible to their constituents, and that creates an inability to do great things except under extraordinary pressure. You cannot find a grand, elegant and complete solution to the problem that will make 50 percent plus one happy. The result is band-aids.
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Thu Jul 27, 2006 at 07:25:14 AM EDT
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Preparations for the special session on property tax reform are moving along. This morning, there will be a public hearing on devoting half the sales tax increase to property tax relief. The Senate and Assembly will then vote for the consitutional amendment on Friday. Governor Corzine will give his address on property tax relief at 11AM on Friday. Meanwhile, the Regional Plan Association suggests raising income taxes to cut property taxes. The Inquirer notes the history of failure on this issue.
The Riverside City Council, in a 5-0 vote, passed a law that "punish people who provide housing or jobs to illegal immigrants." The hearing last night was very nasty as both sides argued. The mayor admits that he will have to waste a lot of the town's money when the planned lawsuit comes. njdem has the details.
The controversial work on Route 78 has been delayed by a week. The eastbound express lanes will now be closed on August 4, and the westbound ones on August 11. The plan only revealed earlier this week would have started the shutdown tomorrow!
Saving future traffic jams, Philadelphia was eliminated as a possible host city for the 2016 Olympics. While I thought New York City's bid for 2012 was a terrible idea, I admit to being disappointed for Philadelphia.
The Farber traffic stop affair now includes Union Couny Freeholder -- and Motor Vehicle Comission manager -- Angel Estrada. Estrada helped get her boyfriend's license reactivated, but it's worth noting that apparently he had already paid a fee and his license was not supposed to be suspended.
The real estate market is cooling nationwide, and Ocean County data show New Jersey is no exception.
A panel of judges upheld the $75 annual fee that is charged to doctors and lawyers under a 2004 law to help doctors pay for malpractice insurance.
South Jersey Healthcare nurses voted on whether to unionize Wednesday. The vote was 299-279 in favor, but at least 60 votes were challenged by the union or the Elmer hospital, so the outcome will not be known for some time. The article notes that "Another nurse was on vacation in West Virginia, but she flew home just to vote."
Senator Menendez, with Senator Baucus (D-MT), has introduced a bill that homeowners could add $500 each to their standard deduction on their federal taxes as a property tax deduction. The idea is that once people have paid off their mortgage, they usually aren't able to itemize deductions and therefore lose their property tax deduction. The bill will probably not be considered until next year. On the other hand, conservatives want to get rid of all deductions for local and state taxes.
Back on Wednesday, Rep. Rush Holt testified in favor of forming a body to give unbiased advice on science and technology to Congress:
Although we would like to believe that the scientific and technical advice and assessment provided from outside remains politically neutral, this is not necessarily the case."
You may recall that a neutral body existed in the form of the very successful Office of Technology Assessment but it was axed by the Republicans in 1995. It's an example of how they do not believe in effective government, only crony capitalism.
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Wed Jul 12, 2006 at 09:49:26 AM EDT
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Prof David Rebovich says that both the 5th and 7th district races are "competitive".
Two South Jersey Assemblymen are asking the governor to postpone implementing the sales tax increase for another two weeks. The article doesn't mention where they plan to make up the difference in lost revenue.
Tom Moran writes about what Corzine considers "pay to play" in the budget process. Democratic legislators agreed to the sales tax increase, but only in exchange for $300 million in pork barrell spending.
Corzine's plans for the special summer session on property tax reform includes improving efficiency through consolidation of services. A coalition group called the Citizens Convention Coalition, which includes the AARP, the League of Municipalities and other, "plans a press conference today to urge the Legislature to put a convention proposal on the ballot this year, not next."
Yesterday Corzine signed legislation which would create the Department of Children and Families. The governor says the purpose is to "make sure that there is dedication and focus primarily on the job of looking after our children in the welfare system."
Despite a threat of a primary challenge from 33rd district Assemblyman Brian Stack, Sen Bernard Kenny says he won't step aside.
The owners of the Tropicana casino are being sued by a nonsmoking worker who was diagnosed with lung cancer.
If you're riding the PATH at Exchange Place, be prepared to be screened for bombs.
The Bray has leaked a photo of Scott Garrett co-piloting Dick Cheney's Air Force Two.
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