Here Comes a 7% Property Tax Increase for 2014 in GT

The Gloucester Township 2014 'Introduced Budget' has just been placed on the GT website. This budget calls for a 7% INCREASE in your township property taxes. The budget document is here: http://www.glotwp.com/pdfs/budget/2014introduced_budget.pdf

If you're like me, you are incensed.

If you're like me, you have a few questions:

Q: I thought NJ passed a law to limit tax increases to 2% per year?
A: Yes, NJ did. But the law has more loopholes than the tax code for Exxon. The loophole that your GT government leaders took advantage of says you can accumulate all of the 2% increases that you didn't use in previous years, and then add them together to use them in the current year.

Q: For the November 2013 GT mayoral election, wasn't Mayor Mayer's number one re-election campaign bragging point the fact that he "held the line on taxes four years in a row"?
A: Yes, it was. So it doesn't take much imagination to figure out if this 2014 tax increase was a premeditated, misleading political maneuver.

Q: What can I do about this?
A: Well first, this budget document was made available at the end-of-day Thursday. And, as you know, the Municipal Building goes dark on Fridays. So there is nothing you can do until Monday.
Secondly, if you know GT government, then you realize that "Introduced Budget" really means "Signed, Sealed, Delivered Budget".
But don't give up. This budget SHOULD NOT PASS.
The next Council meeting is March 24, 7:30. Show up and raise heck.
Also, public budget hearings will be held on April 14, 7:30.

Q: If Mayor Mayer can dupe us with a misleading political maneuver like this, is he misleading us with other tricks?
A: You decide.