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This Web version:
COPYRIGHT 2003, GET NJ
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HE tax rate is popularly
supposed to measure the
efficiency of municipal
government. The public
officials, however, in the
levying of taxes are largely handicapped by
conditions over which they have no
control.
The administration of the Tax Department under Commission Government under the direction of the late George F. Brensinger and his successor, the present Commissioner, James F. Gannon, has accomplished results which compare favorably with any other municipality in the country. |
Salary Increases.
The administration has been confronted with difficulties which have
to be met and which should be considered in estimating the work of
this branch of the government. A n
increase in the salaries of the Police
and Fire Department was voted by
the people at an election under the
State law. It affected at least one
thousand officers and resulted in an
increase of over a million dollars. A
similar increase, though not mandatory, was made necessary by the increasing cost of living in reference
to 1,200 school teachers, whose
salaries were increased a million
dollars.
Lost Revenue.
The loss of revenue from the
liquor license tax due to prohibition was $400,000. Here are
items aggregating $2,400,000 in the
year's budget, out of a total budget
of $12,000,000, over which the Commissioners either had no direct
control or were forced in the case
of the school teachers by the rapidly
increasing cost of living to make a
corresponding increase in salaries.
When to this virtually mandatory
action is added the handicap which
to railroad taxation, as explained in
another article, and from which all
other municipalities are free, the
achievements of this administration
in the field of taxation are truly re
markable.
That this Department has been
efficiently managed is shown by a
comparison of the tax rate of our
city with other municipalities in the
State, as graphically shown by the
following table
| Municipality | 1919. | 1920. |
| Jersey City | 32.54 | 30.97 |
| Passaic | 25.20 | 31.50 |
| Little Falls | 26.00 | 34.80 |
| Trenton | 27.60 | 34.90 |
| Long Branch | 32.20 | 35.20 |
| Somerville | 27.70 | 36.40 |
| Orange | 31.90 | 37.40 |
| Newark | 34.00 | 37.50 |
| Morristown | 34.80 | 37.50 |
| Asbury Park | 36.10 | 38.20 |
| Ridgewood | 33.90 | 39.40 |
| Atlantic Highlands | 33.40 | 39.50 |
| City of Salem, Salem County | 25.90 | 40.40 |
| Newton, Sussex County | 32.92 | 40.57 |
| New Brunswick | 31.40 | 41.00 |
| Red Bank | 35.90 | 41.30 |
| Point Pleasant, Ocean County | 34.47 | 42.38 |
| Perth Amboy | 33.60 | 43.00 |
| Flemington | 33.60 | 43.60 |
| Bound Brook | 31.60 | 45.60 |
| Madison | 33.80 | 46.90 |
| Clayton Borough, Gloucester County | 28.20 | 47.70 |
| Hackensack | 35.00 | 49.00 |
Remarkable Tax Showing.
These samples are fairly representative of the tax conditions throughout the State. There are only a very few municipalities which have succeeded in reducing the tax rate in 1920 below that of 1919. In the great majority of municipalities the tax rate was very substantially increased.
This remarkable showing on the part of the government of Jersey City is due in large part to the policy of the city in raising taxes upon the great corporations which enjoy special priviledges here as shown below:
In a general way the increase of assessments during Commission Government is substantially $75,000,000, of which one-half represents increases on the property of the railroads, the Public Service Corporation and the Standard Oil, about $6,000,000 on apartment buildings and $25,000,000 on miscellaneous manufactures.
The major part of this increase in assessments has been in the last three years and has been made in spite of the fact that there have been no new buildings put up in that time. It should be noted that this year there has been no general increase in assessments on ordinary property in this city, whereas in Newark there has been a general flat increase on the assessments of all property. Notwithstanding this fact, the tax rate this year will be reduced from the figure of $30.97 last year to $29.16.
Financial Condition.
The financial condition of the city generally is extremely satisfactory. The sinking fund has over $10,000,000 in cash or convertible securities to meet bond issues as they mature, and contains a surplus of nearly 2,000,000 more than is required by law.
The credit for this remarkable showing is largely due to the indefatigable and able work of the late Commissioner Brensinger and his successor, the present Commissioner, James F. Gannon, in increasng assessments upon the Public Service and other great corporations, most of which have been secured only after long drawn out and repeated litigations.
| Assessment, 1913. | Assessment, 1921. | Increase. | |
| Third class railroad | $12,000,000 | $49,000,000 | $37,000,000 |
| Standard Oil Co | 1,500,000 | 12,000,000 | 10,500.000 |
| Public Service | 3,000,000 | 19,000,000 | 15,000,000 |
| Hudson & Manhattan | 1,500,000 | 2,200,000 | 700,000 |
| Second class railroad | 49,600,000 | 68.600,000 | 19,000,000 |
| Swift & Co | 480,000 | 1,700,000 | 1,220,000 |
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