Money To Bring Down Property Taxes? It's A Distinct Possibility!

Township Manager Marc Dashield told Patch on Monday that Montclair has just filed an application with the state for Transitional Aid. The amount applied for—some $1 million—would be used solely for reducing property taxes.

"In order to get the aid you have to show that you've done cost cutting in personnel and elsewhere and we've done that," said Dashield, adding that the aid could result in a 1 percent reduction in property taxes.

Dashield said that towns applying for Transitional Aid also must show that they are being burdened this year with tax increases greater than $250 for the average household.

The Transitional Aid program replaces the Extraordinary Aid, Special Municipal Aid, and Capital Cities Aid programs. Awards from this new program will be directed to the most fiscally challenged municipalities.

According to state officials, the application, evaluation, and award criteria are rigorous and developed to target municipalities that have the most severe structural financial problems. In order to qualify for aid, municipalities will need to show that despite aggressive cost reductions and service modifications, Transitional Aid funding is necessary to mitigate significant property tax increases.

Dashield pointed out that Montclair has done a good job at slashing costs, emphasizing the reduction in municipal employees from 405 to 380.

"It's very competitive and we're competing against towns such as Newark and Camden but we've done everything the state is looking for a community to do," he said, adding that Montclair applied for—and received—$200,000 in state aid two years ago.

Dashield said that the Township should hear the state's decision in about a month.

He also added that the Township would not vote on its proposed $69.9 million budget until September—and not this month as previously anticipated.

Due to the delay in the budget, Montclair will issue estimated tax bills for the August 1, 2010 tax payment.

"We'll estimate what the taxes will be since the budget hasn't been approved and then in the last quarter of the year the tax bills will be adjusted as necessary," Dashield said.

In other government news, Montclair "concerned citizen" Michael Byrne on Monday wrote a letter to the Montclair Town Council complaining about a scheduled closed-door "retreat" on Tuesday night. 

Byrne said the retreat is not transparent and that the council should have only one current goal—"to pass a responsible budget that does not price the people of Montclair out of the Township of Montclair."

The retreat is the last item on Tuesday night's agenda and is closed to the press and to the public.

Mayor Jerry Fried said that a training or team-building session would not be considered a meeting under the Open Public Meetings Act so lpong as the governing body does not discuss city or county business. He said that receiving training or engaging in team-building exercises does not inherently require the discussion of city or county business. If the government body is not going to open such a session to the public, it should be made clear that the members of the governing body are not to discuss business at the session.