Proposed State Aid To Municipalities

Governor Jon Corzine’s proposed 2009 New Jersey state budget calls for cuts to municipal property tax relief based on population.

Municipalities with populations of less than 5,000 would receive no municipal property tax relief from the state. Those with populations greater than 5,000 but less than 10,000 would have municipal aid cut in half. The remaining municipalities with populations greater than 10,000 would have their state aid reduced to the amounts received in 2006-07 budget.

Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Joseph Doria said. "The incentives are we have the grants for shared services and working toward consolidation. That's the carrot. The stick is not receiving the aid." The Governor proposes $32 million for this purpose.

A fair way to allocate municipal property tax relief would be to grant the aid on a per person basis and let the chips fall where they may. The new aid formula takes inequity to a new level. Many of the numbers are jaw dropping, even by New Jersey standards.

Update: We have posted the municipal aid information for every town, including actual state aid for 2007, 2008 and proposed 2009 aid based on the new guidelines. You’ll also be able to compare municipal aid per person for every municipality.

Click on the links below to view the information for each County.

Atlantic County
Bergen County
Burlington County
Camden County
Cape May County
Cumberland County
Essex County
Gloucester County
Hudson County
Hunterdon County
Mercer County
Middlesex County
Monmouth County
Morris County
Ocean County
Passaic County
Salem County
Somerset County
Sussex County
Union County
Warren County

New Jersey state municipal aid certifications for 2007 and 2008 may be reviewed here. The 2009 state municipal aid proposal may be found here.