LETTER SENT TO THE TAXPAYERS WITH THEIR 2006 TAX BILLS:
July 2006
Dear Fellow Taxpayer:
Enclosed you will find the tax breakdown for 2006. We are pleased to announce that the Riverdale Borough Tax portion did not increase! Unfortunately we weren’t so fortunate with the County Tax, which went up 11.63%.
We hear much from our state representatives and the governor calling for property tax reform, and it is true that local property taxes are high, but that is not where tax reform must begin. The state income and sales taxes go to Trenton and your money is redistributed to wherever the bureaucrats decide. Except for the county share of your local property taxes, all of the money collected stays in Riverdale for the benefit of Riverdale residents. Each dollar collected can be accounted for. The County Tax, while not staying in Riverdale, at least stays within Morris County. If our state government were truly interested in tax reform, less laws and regulations would be passed forcing local municipalities to increase spending to implement state-mandated programs. State mandate-state pay is, for all practical purposes, non-existent.
In 2005 your property tax distribution was:
County $.1706 out of each tax dollar
School $.5492 out of each tax dollar
Borough $.2802 out of each tax dollar
In 2006 your property tax distribution is:
County $.1846 out of each tax dollar
School $.5462 out of each tax dollar
Borough $.2692 out of each tax dollar
You can see that the percentage of your tax dollar going to the County went up, while at the same time the percentage for the School and Borough went down! The Governing Body and the Board of Education will continue to give you, our fellow taxpayers, the best value for your tax dollar. We have been participating in shared services with the school and economizing in ways so that Riverdale will continue to be known as the community with the most affordable taxes in northern New Jersey.