Dear Editor:
There are many reasons for Hoboken’s high property tax rates, but chief among them is the lack of business acumen by the current administration.
The city installs new streetlights on lower Washington Street, courtesy of a one time grant from the state. Taxpayers are then socked with a $400,000 annual bill for extra power to light them. As if this weren’t enough, the city now plans to upgrade the rest of Washington Street. What kind of an electric bill should we expect when it’s done?
George Crimmins explains “We got whacked with a really big bill. The new lights use a lot more electricity”. His justification for this new burden on taxpayers? “The old lights were really unattractive”.
Thank you, Mr. Crimmins, for the expensive lesson in aesthetics. And thanks, too, for keeping property taxes affordable through prudent fiscal planning. Replacing perfectly functional lights without understanding the consequences of your actions is an example of this administration’s failure to grasp the obvious.
Kenneth Geraghty