HOBOKEN — Both the administration of Mayor Dawn Zimmer and the Hoboken Board of Education are scheduled to introduce their upcoming budgets this week, and both will include increases in the taxes levied on Hoboken property owners. Property owners in town pay an overall tax amount that is determined by the county, city, and school budgets each year.
On Tuesday, March 17, the school board planned to hold a special meeting to introduce and adopt a preliminary budget for the 2015-16 school year. A spreadsheet posted on the school board website indicates that the Hoboken school district’s general fund tax levy will rise by around $1.6 million to $41,004,666.
The projected tax levy increase is slightly higher than last year’s increase of $1.48 million. The district’s total budget is also set to grow by around $3.09 million to $67.99 million, according to the spreadsheet.
Last Tuesday, Trustee Leon Gold said the school board had no choice but to raise taxes due to its persistent budget problems.
“I think we should acknowledge that [the tax levy is] going to go up,” he continued, “so we can seriously discuss why it’s going to go up and understand that we’re making huge sacrifices to keep it at the level that we’re going to.”
The budget meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in the Demarest Auditorium, located at 158 Fourth St.
On Wednesday, the Hoboken City Council will also vote on the introduction of the municipal budget for 2015. According to a March 13 memo from Mayor Dawn Zimmer to the City Council, it will include a $1,057,306 increase in the municipal services tax levy.
Zimmer blamed the jump in taxes largely on a $1.18 million increase in the cost of group health benefits for the city’s employees.
Wednesday’s City Council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, which is located at 94 Washington St.
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