Bill Text: NJ S3248 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Eliminates cap on annual budget request increases of county boards of taxation.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-12-06 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee [S3248 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-S3248-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator ROBERT W. SINGER
District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Eliminates cap on annual budget request increases of county boards of taxation.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the annual budget requests of county boards of taxation, amending P.L.2007, c.62, and repealing section 4 of P.L.2015, c.249.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 9 of P.L.2007, c.62 (C.40A:4-45.44) is amended to read as follows:
9. For the purposes of sections 9 through 13 of P.L.2007, c.62 (C.40A:4-45.44 through C.40A:4-45.47 and C.40A:4-45.3e):
"Adjusted tax levy" means an amount not greater than the amount to be raised by taxation of the previous fiscal year, less any waivers from a prior fiscal year required to be deducted by the Local Finance Board pursuant to section 11 of P.L.2007, c.62 (C.40A:4-45.46), that result multiplied by 1.02, to which the sum of exclusions defined in subsection b. of section 10 of P.L.2007, c.62 (C.40A:4-45.45) shall be added.
"Amount to be raised by taxation" means the property tax levy set in the annual budget of a local unit.
"County entity" means an office of the county superintendent of election, office of the county board of election, office of the county register of deeds and mortgages, office of the county clerk, office of the county surrogate, office of the county prosecutor, and county sheriff's department.
"County entity budget authority" means the county superintendent of election, county board of election, county register of deeds and mortgages, county clerk, county surrogate, county prosecutor, and county sheriff, in their role as the appointing authority of their respective offices.
"Local unit" means a municipality, county, fire district, or solid waste collection district, but shall not include a municipality that had a municipal purposes tax rate of $0.10 or less per $100 for the previous tax year.
"New ratables" means the product of the taxable value of any new construction or improvements times the tax rate of a local unit for its previous tax year.
["County entity budget authority" means the county tax administrator, county superintendent of election, county board of election, county register of deeds and mortgages, county clerk, county surrogate, county prosecutor, and county sheriff, in their role as the appointing authority of their respective offices.
"County entity" means a county board of taxation, office of the county superintendent of election, office of the county board of election, office of the county register of deeds and mortgages, office of the county clerk, office of the county surrogate, office of the county prosecutor, and county sheriff's department.]
(cf: P.L.2015, c.249, s.2)
2. Section 4 of P.L.2015, c.249 (C.54:3-32) is repealed.
3. This act shall take effect immediately
STATEMENT
This bill would eliminate the cap on annual budget increases requested by county boards of taxation. Currently, a county board of taxation must limit any increase in the portion of its budget request that would be supported by property taxes to two percent of the previous year's budget request. County boards of taxation are very small entities, have no sources of revenue beyond the property tax, and often face demanding workloads. This bill would provide county boards of taxation with the budgetary flexibility necessary to carry out its responsibility of ensuring that properties are properly assessed for taxation purposes.
