Dear Friend:
I hope this letter finds you well. I write concerning you recent tax bill. I feel it is my responsibility to offer an explanation with your tax bill. Along with the Commissioners, I examined each line of the municipal budget in order to cut expenses wherever we could do so in a responsible manner. During past years, we have been so effective in reducing spending in certain areas that there is simply nothing more to trim.
The increase in your recent tax bill is approximately 3.5 percent. I wish that there was no increase at all, but there are costs that remain out of our control such as utilities, water, North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue, pension, and medical costs, while a multitude of certain fees have decreased as a result of the national economic crisis. Everything from construction permit fees, business fees and even the fees and penalties in the municipal court have decreased.
Any increase in taxes bothers me, especially when we are working at the local level to cut costs and be creative with less revenue. This increase was kept to a bare minimum to keep our City operational. To offer perspective on our increase, you may have noticed that our neighbor, West New York, has raised taxes 27 percent and other nearby towns in our State have seen increases of 15 percent -20 percent. This information does not serve as an excuse but rather a comparison. Ultimately, as your Mayor, I take full responsibility for government operations.
One of the positive highlights of our budget is the allocation of $11.8 million in Special Municipal Aid, which was awarded to our City by the Legislature and Governor Jon Corzine. I fought for this funding as your Mayor. Also, the improvements that you see in our community such as the new High School and Athletic Field, Firefighters’ Memorial Park, the paving of streets, the construction of new sidewalks and numerous other projects were made available by State and Federal grants. This funding was aggressively pursued by the City, so that such improvements would not increase property taxes.
I look forward to hearing from you regarding any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Brian P. Stack
Mayor