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TAX REFORM SUMMIT 2006
Mendham:
SILVER BRIGADE:
TAX REFORM SUMMIT 2006
     By . . on Friday, January 06, 2006 - 8:56 pm: |
As part of this Daily record article 10 proposals were offered as a framework for summit discussion. For what it's worth, here's my critique.
Quote: The Silver Brigade has prepared 10 proposals aimed at reducing property taxes:
• Calls for a special constitutional convention to address long-range property tax reform, while demanding the Legislature begin to act on the issue now.
Without details regarding what exactly the Legislature would be doing to the Constitution I can't say I support A rewriting convention. A constitutional convention is not a place to debate the issue it's where you go when you already have a solution developed.
Quote: • Combine school board, fire district and state primary elections on the third Tuesday in April.
A long overdue change that has only one opponent --the teachers unions. School Board Elections mock our democracy. In fact, having an "election" to decide what special interest partisan will be allowed to volunteer for an unpaid position no rational person without a vested interest would want is just plain stupid.
Quote: • Eliminate authority of the state education commissioner to override local votes that result in defeated school budgets.
Seems agreeable, but some system to arbitrate deadlocks between school boards and voters must replace the current nonsense.
Quote: • Centralize or regionalize purchasing of supplies for local schools and governments.
Certainly buying wholesale, as part of a collective, makes definite sense. In fairness some of that is already taking place on the county level-- Unfortunately, local politicians like to have local control over their local graft.
Quote: • Amend constitution to require all legislation that raises taxes be approved by two-thirds of the Legislature, and if the increase exceeds the annual cost of living, be put to voters in a special election.
This doesn't sound like property tax reform? In fact, if a thing like this were established the state would have little capacity to subsidize any the part of the local property tax burden. The only way I would agree to this proposal is if it came with a requirement for a two-thirds vote for unfunded tax cuts to the rich.
Quote: • Amend constitution to allow voters in a special election to approve or disapprove bills that would increase state spending.
This sounds like another gimmick... in the first place state spending doesn't have much to do with property taxes... in the second place the vast majority of legislative "bills" contain hundreds of provisions and no single voter is going to like all of them and realistically no bill would pass a public referendum. I think a more productive change would be to allow the public to suggest, through referendum, policy to be included in bills.
Quote: • Create a bipartisan state revenue forecasting integrity committee.
Whatever
Quote: • Expand the authority of the state auditor to perform audits on local school and government budgets; also establishes a performance audit committee of eight public members to examine school and local government budgets.
Just mandate that every detail of budgets and expenses be available on-line and we can save the expense of often in-the-pocket auditors.
Quote: • Make pay-to-play illegal at all levels of government.
It might be simpler just to outlaw stupid voters who keep electing liars and cheats. di-unionizing government employment also wouldn't hurt.
Quote: • Create uniform standards for reporting on all school and government budgets.
Yes... a current, honest, concisely readable, accounting of every dollar received and spent available to the public online. |
| By 12... . . on Friday, January 13, 2006 - 10:16 am: |
| Some people's "vested interest" is to see that schools are run correctly (let's not get into a debate of what "correctly" is; the point is not everyone is out for themselves) and kids are provided opportunity. |
| By 06. 2....... on Saturday, August 05, 2006 - 6:53 am: |
| The Silver Brigade announces another Tax Summit. After a successful tax summit May 13, 2006, the plan is to have a second one, this time on September 14, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at the County College of Morris. |
| By 06. 06. 06. 107... on Tuesday, September 05, 2006 - 1:22 pm: |
| These reforms do NOT address how to reduce *current* expenses and spending, or the financial impact of the National Education Association -- two primary reasons for excessive taxation. If these reforms do not do that, Silver Brigade is only tinkering with the problem. To merely increase the homeowners property tax rebate is another form of tinkering. Reforms should not perpetuate the beast of government spending and government miseducation. |
| By 06. 2....... on Tuesday, September 05, 2006 - 7:37 pm: |
While I share your general dissatisfaction with the specific proposals, I think your criticism of the organization is unnecessarily harsh. The Silver brigade has, through hard PR work, helped to put the issue on the political radar, and I'm quite confident the organization is open to discussing alternative ideas regarding achieving the goal of tax restructuring/reduction. Overall I think their efforts deserve praise. As this pretty much ignored message board demonstrates, it's not easy to get people to step beyond talking head simplicity --to get to a hard discussion of the realities that matter. The pitifully inefficient administration (distribution) of public education is 80% of the property tax problem-- and while local government is just as inefficient in providing other services... we probably should start with the 800 lb. dump teachers' union gorilla.
FYI: THE Tax Summit HAS BEEN MOVED TO September 14, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at the Randolph High School Auditorium. |
| By 06. 75... on Wednesday, September 06, 2006 - 2:46 pm: |
FANTASTIC.
Finally some realistic talk about all the big fluffy pink elephants in the room! Lets also consider curbing local eminent domain abuse like Readington taking Solberg Airport and Piscataway taking a farm. Local politicians making promises the state can't afford to pay! |
| By 06. 75... on Wednesday, September 06, 2006 - 2:49 pm: |
| Bill Dressell (League of Munis') recently sounded off against tax reform, but of course offered no productive suggestions. Why don't we consolidate school districts to county level and get rid of all these special programs and astro-turf football fields. ($1M each!) |
| By 06. 109... on Thursday, September 14, 2006 - 8:53 pm: |
| my message was sent by itself before I finished writing. Also the link to email you would move away when my cursor went near it. Kinda weird like it was possessed. I would like to discuss some aspects of Property Taxes with key members of your group that no one else has addressed. What I will discuss is not for release or to be discussed with the public until the study is released to the press. Doing so will stop it from being 'news' and being covered. I will be releasing our findings soon and would prefer that all other groups working on Property Tax Reform have this info first to comment on it if they wish. Right now I am not sure if it will be released in a Press Conference or simply as a Press Release. I can be contacted at John@HandsAcrossNewJersey.US I wish you good luck John Budzash |
| By 06. 2....... on Friday, September 15, 2006 - 12:43 am: |
Here is a link to the website HandsAcrossNewJersey.US
And Part of an e-mail I sent to John
quote:John,
Thanks for stopping by the Silver brigade message board -- I'm sorry you had problems with its functionality. I maintain the message board and website for the silver brigade (at no cost to them) and unfortunately can't do much to correct the problems you had without more specific information. I am quite certain that for 95% of users, 99% of the pages function properly... unfortunately, browser inconsistencies, and other aberrations, can create relatively rare circumstances where problems can be encountered. Specific to the problems you referenced I have no explanation for a post, being posted, without the "preview" button, or "Enter" key being pressed. Regarding the menu being evasive, that strangeness can occur on some rare pages where a dead scrolling area can be created (especially if you're viewing pages at unusually very low vertical resolution). ...
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| By 06. 06. 2....... on Saturday, September 23, 2006 - 1:31 pm: |
Answers scarce to high taxes
By CLAIRE KNAPP Staff Writer Recoeder News
09/22/2006
RANDOLPH TWP. – One panelist said the state reminds him of the man-eating plant in “Little Shop of Horrors” that demands to be constantly fed.
Others had equally strong, though less creative, criticisms of state government at a tax reform group’s fall summit meeting held last Thursday night in Randolph High School.
The meeting was sponsored by The Silver Brigade, a group pressing for tax reform on the state, county and municipal levels. Resident Jerry Cantrell is president and founder of the group.
Panelists talked about how duplication of services on different levels drives up taxes.
Panelist Todd Caliguire, a Republican gubernatorial candidate last year, is running for Bergen County executive. He said taxes are being fueled by the cost of the state’s pension systems and employee benefits.
Caliguire also said many county services may be unnecessary and duplicate services provided by municipalities.
Caliguire said schools should be funded by property taxes because the quality of a school system enhances the value of properties in the community.
Panelist Eugene Feyl, mayor of Denville and a Republican candidate for Morris County Freeholder, said education costs are the main problem.
“In Morris County, county government takes about 12 percent of people’s property taxes. The average local portion is 22 percent, and education takes 62 percent,” said Feyl. “That is the heart of the issue.”
Feyl said local government is not the problem.
“Local government is low on the food chain,” said Feyl. “What is really needed is fundamental reform on the state level.”
Lack Of Courage
But Feyl said he didn’t think there will be reform on the state level because “The state is not going to have the courage to stand up to the unions.”
Panelist Eugene Lawrence, a former Councilman in Gloucester Township, said 50,000 residents left New Jersey last year to escape high taxes.
“What they would have paid is now borne by everyone else. We need to keep good taxpayers here, not tax them so much they leave the state,” Lawrence said.
He said state officials are talking about tax reform but have no plan.
“We have a responsibility as residents,” said Lawrence. “In North Carolina they have an $18 billion budget. They are the same size and have the same population, but in New Jersey, our budget is double that.”
“It is time to present solid proposals to legislators,” said Lawrence. “Don’t weaken, don’t be discouraged, get people out and get it done.”
Feyl said state aid for towns and schools has been flat for years. While the state has imposed a 4 percent limit on increases in local budgets, the state budget grew by 11 percent, or $1.1 billion.
“We can live with a 4 percent limit, why can’t they,” said Feyl. “The money that flows into Trenton they consider theirs. They’re not going to give it back.”
Feyl said this year’s penny increase in the sales tax represents a 16 percent increase, and that the sales tax is one of the most regressive forms of taxation.
“The biggest bomb the state faces right now is pensions and medical benefits,” said Feyl. “It is ballooning like a credit card. Pensions are going up 4.4 percent this year, but 69 percent of that is debt.”
Feyl said the state has three pension systems. The Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) is the only one that is still secure. The other two, Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS) and Teachers Pension and Annuity System (TPAS), have problems.
“PFRS is the worst when it comes to being under-funded,” said Feyl. “They’ve (legislators) given away too much, and local government has little control over police contracts which affect pension costs. Police almost always go to arbitration and get good results.”
Feyl said the PFRS is 80 percent under funded, and with the state putting in only 50 percent, while the fund grows a 30 percent deficit each year.
“I’ve heard it called the Pluto effect,” said Feyl. “It’s still out there, still doing the same thing, but they’re just calling it a different name.”
Feyl compared government in New Jersey to the Broadway play, “Little Shop of Horrors.”
“The play was about a plant that kept being fed by Seymour’s blood,” said Feyl. “Then it began eating whole people. It kept saying “feed me, Seymour, feed me.” Seymour kept feeding it until finally it ate Norman.”
Morris County Freeholder Margaret Nordstrom, another panelist, said Morris County is better run than the state.
“It’s all about spending,” said Nordstrom. “Reducing the use of county cars by 50 percent will save a lot of money. We have also changed overtime schedules to cut costs, and are working on a county-wide emergency dispatch system.”
Nordstrom said six counties have joined to share costly equipment that individual counties would not be using every day.
“Morris County is changing to program-based budgeting, which will help us cut obsolete programs, reduce some, and prioritize others,” said Nordstrom. “We have to cut simply to maintain taxes at their current level.”
Another panelist, Parsippany Township Council President Rosemarie Agostini, said she has served in local government for more than 20 years as a direct provider of senior services.
“Commercial property owners can get tax relief if their occupancy or income decreases,” said Agostini. “But homeowners don’t get any relief if their income decreases.”
Agostini said everyone has to stop pointing fingers.
“The problem was created by both Democrats and Republicans,” said Agostini.
Agostini said the state property tax rebate program should be eliminated, because it costs too much to collect people’s money only to return it to them.
“Plus, people in subsidized housing shouldn’t be getting rebates,” said Agostini. “They are already receiving a rebate in the form of subsidized housing.”
Agostini supports freezing the salaries of school administrators, and mandating regionalization of municipal courts.
“The whole home rule fixation is a barrier to change,” said Agostini.
Responding to a question from the audience of what people can do to force change, Caliguire said, “People have to get angry enough. If you wait for Trenton, we’ll be waiting a very long time.”
Caliguire said New Jersey has the same number of state employees as Illinois, but Illinois has twice the people.
“In Bergen County, we spend $13 million in order to distribute $14 million of state aid for social programs,” said Caliguire. “That doesn’t make sense.”
Agostini said it is time to follow one simple rule, “If you can’t afford it, you can’t have it.”
A spectator from Cherry Hill said he understands why senior citizens are leaving New Jersey in droves.
“I’m retired and my income rose by 4.4 percent, but my property taxes have increased by 19.1 percent,” he said.
A Roxbury resident said it is time that teachers start contributing to the cost of health benefits, and suggested regionalization of police services.
Feyl said most local officials would welcome sharing services with other communities, but that the residents would oppose.
“People move to an address and they want to maintain it,” said Feyl.
Sen. Anthony R. Bucco, R-Morris, said the public has a great deal of power.
“It is you that control your taxes,” Bucco said to everyone in the room. “Mandates come down from Trenton because citizens demand things.”
Bucco said Gov. Jon Corzine had created a committee to review school funding and one of recommendation was that the 31 Abott school districts get an extra 2.5 billion to complete construction projects, while all other districts would share in only $750,000.
“The Abott Districts are sucking up the money,” said Bucco. “In Newark, education costs $24,000 per student, with the state paying 80 percent of the cost. In Randolph Township, it only costs about $12,000 per student.”
Cantrell said The Silver Brigade’s fall summit may not have solved the problem of taxes, but it allowed an open dialogue and sharing of ideas that will hopefully lead to reform. |
| By 07. 1... on Thursday, April 21, 2016 - 7:15 pm: |
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