Neptune residents confront elected officials amid proposed historic tax hikes
The 30% tax hike would be the largest the township has ever seen.
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Neptune taxpayers facing a $17 million hike in the tax levy were heated Tuesday during the Shark River Hills Property Owners Association monthly meeting.
The 30% tax hike would be the largest the township has ever seen.
"As far as I’m concerned, the school board is supposed to protect the taxpayer and they’re not doing that, and this has been going on for too damn long," said one resident.
Residents at the meeting, mostly seniors and on fixed incomes, were face-to-face with elected officials – calling on them to solve the tax issues plaguing the township, largely in part because of cuts to state aid to the school district.
"You’re pricing us out of our property," said one speaker.
According to the Neptune Township school superintendent, there was a $25 million decrease in state aid over the last six years because of S-2 legislation. It aims to balance state aid between overfunded and underfunded districts by shifting school funding from the state’s budget to local municipalities.
Assemblywoman Margie Donlon says lawmakers are working on a bill that would reform school funding.
"The bill would demand transparency from the Department of Education on the school funding formula, require the state to increase special education funding, revise the method used to determine how much a district is expected to raise in property taxes and solidify protections to prevent drastic sweeps in state funding from year to year," Donlon said.
State Sen. Vin Gopal offered solutions to help offset costs.
"There are a number of other property tax programs. It’s not just ANJ, it's not just senior freeze. There’s the ANCHOR tax program, there’s the veterans tax credit," Gopal said.
Residents told News 12 that they still didn’t get all the answers they needed.
