Politics & Government

Ordinance Proposes Open Space Tax Change

The tax change comes as a result of the new property taxes that will begin August 1.

A township ordinance introduced at the April 12 Township Committee meeting would reduce the Township’s Open Space Tax from four cents ($0.04) per $100 of assessed value to two point eight ($0.028) cents per $100 of assessed value.

The ordinance is part of the committee’s decision to lower the open space tax rate, an action resulting from the county-mandated property tax revaluation.  According to the committee’s statements during its March meeting, leaving the rate static would have taxpayers paying more into the open space fund.

“As I mentioned previously, Hillsborough will maintain that there will be no increase in revenue to the government from the revaluation,” Mayor Gloria McCauley said after introducing the ordinance to change the rate at the April 12 Township Committee meeting.  “In order to achieve that goal, the open space tax must be reduced by a proportionate amount.”

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The open space tax provides funds for preserving open space and farmland in Hillsborough.  About 10,000 acres—29 percent of Hillsborough’s 54-square-miles—is preserved land.

The rate was initially set at two cents ($0.02) per $100 of assessed value during the 1990s, but was then raised to four cents ($0.04) per $100 of assessed value in the mid-1990s.

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When introducing the change, McCauley cited a March 13 Star-Ledger article stating that New Jersey municipalities with open space taxes that underwent property tax revaluations saw increases from leaving the rate constant.  The new rates will go into effect with the August 1 tax bills, meaning the open space tax change needed to be introduced and approved prior to that date.

A public hearing on the ordinance, 2011-11 will occur on May 10.


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