Letter: Legislature Must Act on 2.5% Spending Cap

Dear Editor:

I write in support of the governor's call for a 2.5 percent cap on annual property tax increases. Wyckoff has a long history of fiscal responsibility and restraint, and that tradition continues today at the Township Committee level. However, fiscal conservatism has not always been the hallmark of other units of government that tax us at the county and state levels.

If passed as a constitutional amendment by the Legislature, the governor's proposal would go to the voters and appear on the ballot in the upcoming November elections. The voters of Wyckoff, the county of Bergen and the state of New Jersey are more than equipped to decide this issue in the voting booth. But that can't happen unless the Legislature passes the governor's proposal first. And time is running out. The Legislature must pass the governor's proposal by July 7 if the voters are to decide this issue in November.

The best way to compel government at all levels to live within its means is to set a cap with minimal exceptions. Under the governor's proposal, the cap could only be exceeded to make debt payments (Wyckoff also has a strong tradition against bonded indebtedness) or if 60 percent of the voters decided to override the cap. In addition to forcing fiscal discipline, the governor's proposal rightly returns controls on spending to the voters.   

Everyone knows that rising property taxes are driving citizens and businesses out of our state. To stop this trend, the governor's proposal deserves the full support of the leadership of the Assembly and state Senate, which should act by July 7.  

Christopher P. DePhillips

Committeeman, Township of Wyckoff