How Monmouth County Legislators Voted On Busting The Property Tax Cap
Senators Sam Thompson, standing, and Vin Gopal, were the only Monmouth County legislators to vote in favor of busting the 2% property tax cap. Photo via NJ School Boards Association
The New Jersey Senate and Assembly passed legislation on Monday that allows school districts that have lost state funding for their budgets and are spending less annually than what the state considers adequate to raise property taxes above the 2% cap without voters’s consent. The 2% cap was the hallmark reform of the Christie administration. The cap busting legislation expires after the 2024-2025 school year.
The bill awaits Governor Phil Murphy’s signature before it becomes law. Murphy has indicated he is opposed to busting the property tax cap, preferring to raise income taxes on millionaires.
Of the legislators who represent parts of Monmouth County, only Senators Vin Gopal (D-11) and Sam Thompson (R-12) voted in favor of the bill.
Senator Thompson of the 12th legislative district was a Prime Sponsor of the bill which originated in the Senate. Senate President Steve Sweeney was the other Prime Sponsor in the Senate. Assemblywoman Angela McKnight, a Democrat from Jersey City, was the lone Prime Sponsor in the Assembly.
Here is how legislators who represent Monmouth County voted on busting the property tax cap:
11th Legislative District:
Senator Vin Gopal: Yes
Assemblywoman Joann Downey: No
Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling: No
The 11th legislative district includes Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Colts Neck, Deal, Eatontown, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Interlaken, Loch Arbour, Long Branch, Neptune, Neptune Township, Ocean Township, Red Bank, Shrewsbury Borough, Shrewsbury Township, Tinton Falls, West Long Branch
12th Legislative District:
Senator Sam Thompson: Yes
Assemblyman Ron Dancer: No
Assemblyman Rob Clifton: No
The 12th legislative district includes Allentown, Englishtown, Manalapan, Matawan, Millstone, Roosevelt and Upper Freehold in Monmouth County. The 12th also includes Old Bridge in Middlesex County, Jackson and Plumsted in Ocean County and the Burlington County towns of Chesterfield, New Hanover, North Hanover and Wrightstown.
13th Legislative District:
Senator Declan O’Scanlon: No
Assemblywoman Amy Handlin: Didn’t vote
Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso: No
30th Legislative District:
Senator Robert Singer: No
Assemblyman Sean Kean: No
Assemblyman Ned Thompson: No
The 30th legislative district includes Avon-by-the-Sea, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Brielle, Farmingdale, Howell, Lake Como, Sea Girt, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, Wall in Monmouth County and Lakewood, Manasquan, Point Pleasant in Ocean County.
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Get ready to defend yourselves, local electeds. People in NJ are so weary of more excuses to just keep raising taxes everywhere, rather than cutting expenses, and doing reductions in force, instead of hiring more and more of their family and friends .. now another one, with the old standby, “for the children,” when we know it’s largely for the unions’ and administrators’ raises and benefits. Yes, teaching is hard, today- but they do well here in NJ, and they chose that profession.. some districts appear rather greedy, imho..
keep my taxes low, let them shutter schools and have 30 plus kids in a class, not my problem!
Just to be clear, before Governor Christie’s reform, *all* school district budgets had to be approved by the voters. Every year, every district budget was on the ballot. In 2010, voters rejected most of the budgets:
https://ballotpedia.org/Majority_of_New_Jersey_voters_reject_school_district_budgets
The reform created a loophole that allowed school boards to pass budgets without voter approval, as long as they stay under the 2% cap. Thanks to Governor Christie, very few school budgets require voter approval.
And since some parts of the budget are not included when calculating the 2%, “property tax hikes already top 2 percent in more than 40 percent of New Jersey municipalities….”
https://www.app.com/story/news/2017/03/17/nj-lawmakers-property-tax-math-has-flaw/99299732/
We are long past “ low” taxes in this state! My “ problem” is all the money all levels of government waste, and there’s plenty, every single year: it’s always throw more money, not how can we be more efficient and lean, in our respect for taxpayers’ hard- earned dollars. God bless, if you can afford to live here, as they will never stop the increases, warranted or not- many can’t …
The answer, naturally, is a shift away from the public system of schooling. We need parochials and charters, period. These schools always attract the best and brightest educators, at a fraction of the cost!