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| Current to 2017. Click here for 2009-2017 tax tables, net totals paid by municipality |
HOBOKEN COUNCIL CUTS TARGET ESSENTIAL CITY SERVICES
Faced with a 2.7% Hoboken municipal tax increase in a ward council election year, Council incumbents up for re-election have proposed cuts to bring the tax increase down to 1.3%. Their budget amendment is pending final approval following Department of Community Affairs review.
So, the Council amendment purports to be cutting fat from the budget. That is, if you call snow removal "fat"- the council budget amendment proposes an 86% cut to emergency snow removal funding. Or if you call salaries for the Office of Constituent services "fat." Or if cutting legal expenses to continue the fight on the Monarch development is "fat." Same goes for cutting sanitation pick-ups.
GA calls these cuts a bumper-sticker in an election year. It is also a cynical distraction to the actual screwing of the Hoboken taxpayer by the County.
HudCo's 2018 ratables show a $1,069,248 increase in Hoboken's net tax apportionment from 2017.
In that same time frame, Bayonne's County tax bill decreased by $51,631, Kearny's decreased by $495,206, Secaucus' tax bill decreased by $2,077,172, Union City's tax bill decreased by $208,722, West New York's tax bill decreased by $362,796, Harrison's tax bill decreased by $194,433.
Which municipalities' tax bills increased in this time frame? Jersey City's tax bill increased by $11,118,847, Hoboken's tax bill increased by $1,069,248, Weehawken's tax bill increased by $1,813,810, North Bergen's increased by $417,158, East Newark Boro's tax bill increased by $22,265.
2018 NET HUDCO TAXES
2017 NET HUDCO TAXES
Interesting funding formula. It seems friendlier to certain municipalities during the time frame of the 2018 county insurrection over HCDO leadership and attempted forced retirement of Tom DeGise, and punitive toward municipalities on the losing side.
It might even be a magic funding formula. Look who got clobbered: Mayor Steve Fulop's Jersey City-- Fulop was the alleged mastermind of the failed DeGise rebellion.
It might even be a magic funding formula. Look who got clobbered: Mayor Steve Fulop's Jersey City-- Fulop was the alleged mastermind of the failed DeGise rebellion.
PERCENTAGE OF COUNTY TAX INCREASES BY MUNICIPALITY: 2009-2017
So the County is putting the hurt on Hoboken taxpayers (again). This begs the question: why do several incumbent Council members up for re-election stay silent while fawning over the County Boss, Nick Sacco? Yes, fawning.
Council VP Ruben Ramos just gave $500 to Sacco's PAC, North Bergen Democratic Municipal Committee, First Ward Councilman Michael DeFusco just gave $500 to Sacco's 2021 Senate campaign, and who can forget this:
Don't you love it? Fawning over County Bosses but silent on County tax reform while defunding Hoboken emergency snow removal, garbage pickups and the legal fight against the Monarch development under the pretext of helping the Hoboken taxpayer.
Council election year gimmicks that hurt the city should be considered next November by every Hoboken voter.
Council election year gimmicks that hurt the city should be considered next November by every Hoboken voter.
How does North Bergen's county tax bill going up by $400,000 fit with your theory?
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't- it's an outlier.
DeleteDunno if it is a "theory" just musing at the alignments of municipalities where there were tax increases vs tax decreases in a year where HudCo was divided in a political civil war along those same lines. But, the fact that it is one outlier out of 12 HudCo municipalities it could be theoretically cover for sticking one's North Bergen thumb on the tax scale. Really, dunno just a funny coincidence. And Steve Fulop! Look how Jersey City got nailed. An $11M tax hike! Ouch. Nothing pisses off residents like a whopping tax increase. Something you might want to happen to hurt your political foe. Like Steve Fulop. North Bergen's $417K tax hike amounts to a $6-$7/resident increase, not significant.