Dear Mayor:

Today the league praised the appointments made by Governor and by Speaker Sires and Senate President Codey to the special Property Tax Reform Task Force. This Task Force is the final piece of the Governor's FAIR Plan, announced to a special session of the Legislature and to our Special Mayors' Budget Summit, last May, and signed into law in July. The Task Force now only lacks two Legislative members, one each to be appointed by Senate Minority Leader Leonard Lance and by his counterpart in the Assembly, Minority Leader Alex DeCroce.

When those two people are named, the Task Force can begin to advance the process that will, at long last, lead to true tax reform.

We salute Governor McGreevey, Speaker Sires and Senate President Codey. The people that they have appointed to this important Task Force bring to the table a rare combination experience, expertise and energy in proven service to the people of our Garden State. And we especially commend Senator John Adler and Assembly Majority Leader Joe Roberts, whose dogged determination have kept alive the hope for true reform of the property tax system. Without their work, we wouldn't be here today. And the same can be said about League President Jo-Anne Schubert, League Tax Reform Committee Chairman Gary Passanante and Citizens for Property Tax Reform Chairman Cy Thannikary. With them and their colleagues on the Task Force, we can all look forward to steady and sure progress toward the day when the people of New Jersey can take matters into their own hands and make that hope for reform a reality.

The 15 member Property Tax Convention Task Force (14 of 15 members appointed to tax convention task force) will issue its report by December 31, 2004. This report will contain not only its recommendations but, if appropriate, a draft legislative proposal to implement the convening of the constitutional convention. The Legislature will then have time to consider and vote for a bill designed to let the people who pay the taxes take the crisis into their own hands.

A recent report issued by the National Conference of State Legislators revealed decreasing property tax burdens all around the Nation … almost. The National average now has property taxes accounting for 29% of state and local revenues. In New Jersey during the State's last fiscal year, property taxes equaled 42%.

We will keep you posted on future Task Force meetings and on the ultimate report.

Thank you.