Collins: Clear Reading of Tax Bills Proves Middle Costs Trending Downward

CMCH – Speaking before a group of Middle Township taxpayers, Tuesday night, Melanie Collins said voters frustrated with their tax bills shouldn’t fall for the misleading rhetoric of her opponent. The simple truth is Republicans are reducing the cost of municipal government in Middle Township.
Collins, the Republican candidate for Middle Township Committee, said voter anger is understandable, but that Township Committee controls only a small portion of the tax bill. That portion is smaller now than it was in 2011.
“The bottom line is, the Republican majority on Township Committee has kept the Township levy below the 2011 level in both 2012 and 2013,” Collins explained. “After a decade of average annual increases of close to 11%, Dan Lockwood and Tim Donohue have actually cut the municipal levy by over $700,000 the past two years, compared to 2011, the last year of Democrat control.”
Collins pledged that if elected, she was committed to partnering with Lockwood and Donohue to bring the 2014 levy in below the 2011 amount for a third consecutive year.
The municipal levy is the amount raised through property taxes to pay for services provided by the Township. It is the only portion of the total tax bill controlled by Township Committee. The levy represents less than 26% of a property owner’s total tax bill. School taxes suck up 53%, with the remaining 21% split between County taxes, the library tax and local fire districts.
“Since the Township collects all the property taxes, many taxpayers assume the Township sets their total tax rate,” Collins said. “The official rate is actually set by the County Board of Taxation, based on the rates of all five taxing authorities,” Collins said. “My opponent either doesn’t understand this, or has set out to intentionally mislead the voters. The truth is the new majority on Township Committee is reducing government spending.”
Due to a town wide reassessment of all properties in 2012, the Township lost over 330 million dollars of its ratable base. This forced a compensating increase in the municipal tax rate. According to Collins, the key number is not the rate, but the actually levy.
“The tax rate can fluctuate due to a number of factors,” Collins said. “The all-important number is the levy, which actually represents the dollar amount being raised through property taxes to run the Township. The Democrat-controlled Committee more than doubled the tax burden on residents from 2004 to 2011, including a 35% increase in just one year (2007). My opponent can try to spin these facts all he wants. The numbers don’t lie. The Republicans have put the brakes on new spending and are beginning to bend the cost curve downward.”
Ordered and paid for by Committee to Elect Melanie Collins, Scott Bluth, Treasurer, 21 Acorn Lane, CMCH, NJ 08210, 609-465-9269.