Representatives should
heed call for talk on taxes

Call it a message delivered by the voters of western Monmouth and northern Ocean counties. Now we’ll see where we go from here.

In communities throughout New Jersey on April 16, voters — albeit a fraction of the state’s registered voters — went to the polls and rejected one-third of the proposed budgets put forth by boards of education for the 2002-03 school year.

In the communities served by the Tri-Town News in northern Ocean County and another Greater Media Newspapers publication, the News Transcript in western Monmouth County, voters in eight of 11 school districts rejected their budgets.

Budgets went down to defeat in the Manalapan-Englishtown, Marlboro, Freehold Township, Colts Neck, Howell, Lakewood, Jackson and Freehold Regional High School districts.

Only in the Freehold Borough, Farmingdale and Plumsted school districts did voters approve spending plans and save their local school boards from having to negotiate cuts in the budget with the local governing body.

It seems apparent that those who came out to the polls were sending a message not only to their local school board but to state legislators as well that New Jersey’s over-reliance on property taxes to fund the cost of education is reaching — or has reached — the breaking point.

Despite the defeat of these school budgets, residents will not see property taxes remain at their present levels. When all is said and done, they will pay almost 100 percent of the increases the school boards sought in the April 16 election because schools must be funded.

In many cases the tax increases will amount to hundreds of dollars that will become permanent costs on property owners’ tax bills.

All of this news has sparked renewed interest in a proposal by three state legislators to call a constitutional convention for the purpose of finding a way to fund education in New Jersey in a different manner. Sens. John Adler and Robert Martin and Assem-blyman Joseph Roberts have become the champions for this effort.

In a letter published in a daily newspaper, Adler said property taxes are a problem faced by all of New Jersey. He called the state’s method of revenue collection for education "regressive and unduly burdensome on those who have the least ability to pay them."

The Township Committee in Freehold Township is one local governing body that has already passed a resolution supporting the legislators’ call for a constitutional convention.

We urge all of our elected local officials to consider doing the same. Monmouth and Ocean counties have strong ties to the Legislature through the representation of Senate Co-President John O. Bennett and Senate Majority Leader Robert Singer.

Both men can help to ensure that the steps that need to be taken to advance the call for the constitutional convention are taken. The results of this year’s school election — and the prospects of higher property taxes in the future — are an indication that the time is ripe for reform.