Dear Mayor:

At elections all around the State on Tuesday, citizens registered their outrage with our current over-reliance on regressive property taxes by voting "no" on their school district budgets.

As the Atlantic City Press reported, "For four years, voters tolerated" flat municipal property tax relief funding and "flat state aid for schools… But this year, almost half of the 549 school budgets voted on statewide Tuesday were defeated. Just 53.4 percent passed, compared with 70.7 percent last year. It was the lowest passing rate since 1994, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association. In addition, only 28 of 78 separate funding questions passed."

The New Jersey League of Municipalities continues to work with our partners in the Citizens' Convention Coalition in planning a renewed push for progress towards a Citizens' Convention for Property Tax Reform, as soon as the Legislature returns from its budget break.

WE WILL NOT SUCCEED WITHOUT YOUR HELP.

Governor Corzine's campaign pledge to address the property tax crisis was put on hold, pending negotiations with the Legislature on the state budget and the structural deficit. But Tuesday's school budget elections clearly indicate that the people need, want and deserve progress toward real reform. And they will demand more than a promise of a special session, sometime in the future.

It now appears that the Senate leadership intends to wait until after the 2007 legislative elections to even consider the citizens' convention bills (A-1858 & ACR-107/S-756 & SCR-68). And a special session of the legislature would not occur until this Fall, at the earliest.

WE NEED TO LET OUR LEGISLATORS KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE OF NEW JERSEY DESERVE TO SEE SOME PROGRESS TOWARDS PROPERTY TAX REFORM. AND WE NEED TO REMIND THEM THAT OUR FELLOW CITIZENS EXPECT THEM TO HELP GOVERNOR CORZINE ON THIS, THIS YEAR.

If you want to become an active supporter of the call for a Citizens' Convention for Property Tax Reform, here's what to do. You can get behind the effort by passing a RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF PROPERTY TAX REFORM CONVENTION (http://www.njslom.org/property_tax_reform_resolution.html)

1. Use whatever means you have at your disposal, such as your municipal website, your newsletter and meetings with constituent groups, to educate your fellow citizens on the issue and on the proposed Citizens' Convention for Property Tax Reform.
   
   
2. Urge them to get involved in this effort by taking the steps described below.
   
   
3. Urge your State Legislators to support this effort by signing on as cosponsors of the Citizens' Convention bills (A-1858 & ACR-107/S-756 & SCR-68). If you need to learn how you can contact them by mail, phone, fax and e-mail, you can find that on the State Legislature's website at www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/municipalities.asp. Click on the name of your municipality, then, when the new page appears, click on the District number. This will take you to a list of your Legislative delegation.
   
   
4. Contact Governor Corzine and the Leadership of the State Senate and General Assembly and urge them to help. Their contact information is: