NJ Assembly Approves Plan to Cap Property Tax Increases

by KYW's David Madden

Members of the assembly budget committee have approved, along party lines, their plan to cap property tax increases at 2.9% by law rather than 2.5% by constitutional amendment.
The plan is likely to be debated next week as legislators vote on Governor Chris Christie's $29.4 billion budget.

Christie's proposed amendment, which requires voter approval, is being bottled up in committee. Republican Assemblyman Dominic DiCicco of Sewell is one of the sponsors of that measure:

"Are we afraid of the voters in New Jersey? They cannot handle a vote as to how to amend their constitution? So afraid that we will not put it in a public forum for debate?"

Actually, debate over the two plans took about three hours before the Democratic alternative, which is not a hard cap, was voted on.

Democrats on the committee contend they were sent to Trenton to deal with the hard issues not punt them to the electorate. The senate's version of the 2.9% package has also cleared the budget committee. The 2.5% version is stalled there.