SECAUCUS, NORTH BERGEN AND BEYOND — For many years, the towns in the Meadowlands that were permitted by the state to allow development have had to pay tax money into a fund to help out the towns that are forbidden by the state from allowing development, for environmental reasons.
Secaucus and North Bergen were among the towns that had to pay into the fund. But this year, they decided to protest what they believed to be an unfair formula. North Bergen ultimately gave its contribution, but Secaucus did not.
According to Secaucus officials, on Friday, representatives from several towns met to discuss alternatives to the plan.
They planned to meet again Monday afternoon to further discuss the issue.
According to a press release, “On Friday, May 13 the Secaucus Mayor and Council hosted members of the press and numerous administrators from other municipalities involved in the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission tax sharing arrangement. The event provided a platform for municipal administrations to present a united front against what they all perceive to be an unfair tax burden on the residents of entities paying into the fund: Secaucus, Carlstadt, Little Ferry, Lyndhurst, Moonachie, South Hackensack, and North Bergen. Attendees included State Senator and Wood-Ridge Mayor Paul Sarlo; Carlstadt Mayor William Roseman; Rutherford Mayor John Hipp; Little Ferry Mayor Mauro Raguseo and Administrator Michael Capabianco; Lyndhurst Commissioner Brian Haggerty; Teterboro Mayor Jim O’Dwyer and Manager Nicholas Saros; South Hachensack Mayor Walter Eckel and Commissioner Jim Anzvino; Moonachie Mayor Dennis Vaccaro, Administrator Anthony Ciannamea and former Mayor and current Executive Director of the Hackensack Meadowlands Municipal Committee (HMMC) Fred Dressel.
“Though all were adamant that the arrangement must come to an end, attendees acknowledged that municipalities on the receiving end of the tax sharing formula should not suffer loss of funds, and some – like Senator Sarlo – made reference to possible solutions to the problem. ”
Alternatives may include “establishing a regional property transfer tax, entertainment surcharge, parking surcharge, or hotel tax; capturing a portion of sales tax revenues in the region; and instituting a surcharge on turnpike exits leading into the Meadowlands District.”
For more on this story, see this weekend’s newspapers.