Oroho trying to prevent property tax explosion
Sussex County WatchdogTo media insiders like Amy Paterson, New Jersey's transportation funding crisis is way too complicated to even try to have an educated debate about it. It's a lot more complicated than those kitten videos newspaper internet directors use to attract viewership (as opposed to readership). In fact, she so much doesn't want to have a debate, that she has actively censored attempts to make the TTF issue more understandable.
To insiders like Amy, just as the kitten will miraculously get its head unstuck, the roads and bridges will miraculously get maintained and repaired regardless of whether or not there is money to pay for those repairs.
Of course, in the real world, we know that when the money runs out, and the workers don't get paid, the repairs will stop. Here's how it works.
The Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) collects money from the gas tax and then uses that money to maintain and repair state roads and bridges. The TTF also sends money to local governments (counties and municipalities) so that they can afford to maintain and repair the roads and bridges that they own.
The TTF is nearly bankrupt. There will be no money for the maintenance and repair of the roads and bridges owned by the state AND there will be no money to send to local governments to maintain and repair their roads and bridges.
When that happens, local governments will have a decision to make: Either they raise property taxes on every homeowner and business to pay for the maintenance and repair of roads and bridges; or they allow those roads and bridges to fall into disrepair, and become unsafe.
If local governments take the second option and allow roads and bridges to become unsafe, they will be left with just two choices: Close those roads and bridges as they become unsafe, or accept that there will be lawsuits for negligence when people are injured or killed on those unsafe roads and bridges. Of course, the legal bills and settlements for such lawsuits will also result in the need to raise property taxes -- so the taxpayer will lose either way.
Approximately one-third of gas tax revenues in New Jersey come from out-of-state travelers. All property taxes come from the people of New Jersey. So which do you think is the best way to pay for improvements to roads and bridges, an increase in the gas tax or an increase in property taxes?
Let Watchdog know and we'll print your thoughts and suggestions. We are not afraid of having an open debate.
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Now we have had a suggestion on how counties and municipal governments could save some money and then direct that money to road and bridge maintenance and repairs.
Currently, every property taxpayer in New Jersey SUBSIDIZES newspapers. Here's how it is done: State law requires that advertisements be placed in newspapers for many official actions -- like notices of sheriff sales and local government budgets. Millions of property tax dollars are spent each year by local governments for these advertisements and that money goes directly into the pockets of the corporate entities that own and control the newspapers.
But modern technology has made this expense antiquated and unnecessary. Today, notice could be given on government-owned websites for a tiny fraction of the cost property taxpayers are paying now to newspapers.
And who benefits from this subsidy? Mostly they are out-of-state corporations who have no stake in our communities. Often they push the agenda of some anonymous corporate tycoon , while all we see is their corporate shills -- people like Amy Paterson.
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No doubt there are other savings to be made, but can they be made in time? The money in the TTF has already started running out.
Now here is something that "censor-in-chief" Amy Paterson doesn't want you to know. Last month the town of Montville, in Morris County, went to the TTF for funding to repair a road. It was turned down. Many of the subsidized big corporate newspapers missed it , but a small Morris County newspaper did report on it and noted the shock of township leaders:
Due to the New Jersey Transportation Fund’s unfunded state, Canning said he saw something he had never seen in 25 years of working in government: a grant denial.
“There were 641 applications to the NJ Department of Transportation requesting more than $253 million of the $78.75 million available in municipal aide grant funds,” said Canning, “and they did not approve our Brittany Road project, therefore, all $650,000 will have to be self-funded.”
What that "will have to be self-funded" means is that the property taxpayers of Montville will be stuck paying for those repairs. Now magnify that by all the roads and bridges that need repair in Sussex County, divide by the number of property taxpayers, and that will give you some idea of what is coming our way if leaders like Senator Steve Oroho don't get the support they need to fix the bankrupt TTF.
Reader Comments (6)
I have a great idea, we in NJ could give every Virginia road crew person a rolls Royce to commute here, do our roads and it would be less expensive than the 2,000,000,000 per mile we spend now..... How do we spend 4 times as much as Ca or Ma and our roads are horrible.... Really? What do we need 2.5 million a mile? The problem is not the LACK of taxing, it's the corrupt ridiculous overspending... Stop it just stop it.... We need to take lessons from South Dakota and dozens of others states, we should have a surplus. Instead lets just keep spending more so we can tax more and spend more than we tax to tax more and borrow more and tax more, than tells us the bridges are gonna collapse and scare us to pay more taxes!!!! It's a shame. I'm think the system should go bankrupt, reorganized, get rid of 75% of the BS spending and bo right. There's only so much blood you can get out of a rock, and your crushing us. Please stop
Be serious, the study you are quoting was conducted by the petroleum lobby. It counted six lane highways in New Jersey the same as two lane highways in South Dakota. Have you ever been to South Dakota? How can you compare the traffic they get with a state sandwiched between New York and Philadelphia? Be serious. Your idea to let it go bankrupt will cause every at-risk road in the state to close within a few months. Then, when you can't drive anywhere to buy food, then you will be crying about that. Be serious.
Your right unnamed goverment employee we have the highest property taxes in the nation, pay 8 times the national average per mile for some of the bumpiest roads in the county. Your right lets throw money away, increase taxes and spend more.....your also right, I'll be crying when I can't got to the store for goods and services.... But you'll be crying more of the billions of tax dollars you won't be collecting. So maybe bankruptcy isn't the answer, but the closed mind to efficiently managing costs Because it easier to raise taxes needs to stop...keep doing 3 hours of work in your eight hour day and think how you can collect and spend more.. My rant is done and point proven, how any hard worker person thinks more tax is the answer is either living off or part of the broken system. Take care and make a difference with all your knowingness, because I'm done complaining. I hear West Virginia has some crappy roads, you should move there and help ruin them.
Grow the hell up John. The only time I was ever a government employee was with the United States Army. Guess you didn't serve. Piss and moan all you want and when you get right back to it you will be where you started. The TTF is bankrupt. There is no more money. Your choice is higher property taxes, road closures, or the gas tax. I am all for finding new savings and making government more efficient, but they are words until someone makes specific recommendations. If you don't have the money to pay your mortgage, do you ask the bank to wait until you can figure out how to spend more efficiently? Will they wait while you study your family spending problem? I don't think so. Finding efficiencies and making reforms is one track, the long term track. But we have a short term problem too and its a big one.
30,000,000,000 billion in dept, spend 3 times the amount collected in taxes. 1 billon a year to pay past debts. Gas tax only accounts for a little over 500 million. If you double the gas tax you can cover the past misappropriation of funds, but you'll still be spending twice as much as collected...you need to go back, take first grade math and piss up a rope. Because you certainly have no idea of a short or long term plan other than more taxes....you've already bankrupted the system. I sent a much nicer response earlier but apparently I must be blocked now. I'm trying one more time. You've already ruined it for my kids, kids, kids. I have a great idea lets tax more and start taking out 60 year bonds we can't pay back.
Since post is working now my earlier message thanked you for you service, said we are blessed to live in this wonderful country and state. I also mentioned you analogy of bank not waiting for payments is spot on. You would have a couple choices, get and second and or third job to try and meet obligations, you could maybe rent a room out, or default on the load and foreclosed, what you can't do is go to your bosses and lay out a plan threatening them what will happen if they don't give you more money.. My second thought was if your child wanted a gum ball and you only had 4 quarter, machine eats first one, you try another one same thing, do you use the rest of your quarters than stand by machine asking for more quarters to feed the broken machine, or just try the machine next to it? And lastly I have no idea who you and I'm sorry my first post seemed to personally offend you, that was never my intentions. You obviously have a deep love and knowledge of the broke TTF and support more taxes.....The treats made of road closures, lawsuits, property tax increases, gas tax increases are just that, threats to take something that was not earned, coming from anyone else would be called the Mob and in jail. I truly mean no disrespect, but I need to get serious and grow the hell up? Really. I certainly don't have the answer and know it's very complicated however it's a real problem and throwing more money at ridiculous past debts and piss poor management is definitely not a short or long term solution. Again I was hoping someone else would chime in but apparently it's just us, so really nothing personal, you want to give, or should I say take more money, I just want to keep my house and feed my family, like a large percentage of us New Jersey people.