Assembly approves Space, Phoebus shared services bill

TRENTON — The General Assembly last week approved a bill that allows for shared services between county and local governments and school districts and local federal military bases. The bill is a 2015 recommendation by the New Jersey Military Installation Growth and Development Task Force and sponsored by Assembly Republicans Parker Space (R-Sussex) and Gail Phoebus (R-Sussex).
“The task force report concluded that sharing services with military installations is an area ripe for savings on the local level,” Phoebus said. “The most important thing we can do in the Legislature is find ways to cut property taxes to make New Jersey more affordable. ”
In 2013, Congress passed a law allowing for military installations to enter agreements with local governments to provide, receive or share basic services such as fire safety and garbage pick-up. To enable the federal law, the bill (A2514) changes the definition of “local unit” to include a federal military base.
“We hope that this is the start of more legislation being passed to combat high property taxes,” Space said. ”We will do our share to fight for our taxpayers, like fighting for a special session of the Legislature for property tax relief and reform, and our fair school funding plan.”
For example, Rockaway Township has a close working relationship with Picatinny Arsenal that has proven beneficial to both parties in recent years. It is the intention of Space and Phoebus that the County of Morris and local governments and school districts in the vicinity can also take advantage of this and work with the Picatinny Arsenal on ideas for mutual cost sharing. In addition, by allowing Picatinny Arsenal more integration into the region, it will be another avenue to protect the facility if future waves of base closing hearings occur.
“Picatinny is a large employer in the district and has wide support from businesses,” Space said.
“The local relationship to Picatinny has improved the local economy,” Phoebus said. “Opportunities like this should be taken advantage of across the state.”
The bill has companion legislation in the state Senate, S2178, sponsored by Sen. James beach (D-Camden), which is currently in the Community and Urban Affairs Committee.
The Assembly last week also passed two other bills sponsored by Space and Phoebus that concern property taxes. A3466 revises the application deadline for the homestead property tax reimbursement program (commonly known as "senior freeze"). A longer application period also provides more time for senior citizens and disabled persons who may be eligible to participate in this property tax relief program to apply to participate in it. Companion legislation in the state Senate is bill S1278.
A544 requires annual notice of assessment on property to contain bolded notice of the filing deadline to make a tax appeal. Since the notice of assessment does not require any immediate action by a property taxpayer, such as writing a check to the tax collector, the consequences of the notice of assessment on the amount of subsequent tax bills often passes largely unnoticed until well after the appeal deadline of April 1. The bolded notice is intended to remind property taxpayers of the quickly approaching filing deadline for appeals so that they don't lose their opportunity to file an appeal before the property tax appeal deadline. S385 is the companion bill in the state Senate.