WEST MILFORD GOP CANDIDATES SAY IT’S TIME TO REVIVE WATER SURCHARGE TO LOWER PROPERTY TAXES IN TOWNSHIP

WEST MILFORD REPUBLICANS

 Call Carmen Scangarello

201-924-3059                                                                                  

  Township Pays Enough to Support Big Democrat Cities, It’s Time To Get Some Money Back  

WEST MILFORD  -- Township Republican council candidates say its time to enact surcharge on water coming from the northern Passaic County watershed region and use the money to offset taxes for Township residents and other in the watershed region of North Jersey imposed by state and county Democrats.

 GOP council candidates Phil Weisbecker and Dan Jurkovic say that the watershed areas of Passaic County supply water to millions of people outside the region and its time they pay for it.

“Everyone  wants clean water and open space, but the towns that provide that water and open space should be compensated for it,” says Councilman Weisbecker a  business owner.

 “It’s unfair for towns in the watershed areas to shoulder the burden so people in Newark and Paterson and elsewhere can have clean water. Businesses outside our area profit from the cheap water we provide them at expense to our taxpayers.” 

Jurkovic said more than a decade ago Passaic County’s Republican freeholder majority proposed the idea of a small water surcharge to offset the loss of tax revenue for northern Passaic County communities.

The current Republican Council majority has also backed  the surcharge idea.  Now that West Milford and other watershed communities have come under the aegis of the state’s Highlands Act – future revenue production in the region is all but impossible. 

“The water surcharge on down county users of our water was a good idea then, it’s even a better idea now,” said Jurkovic. 

“I don’t want to burden people outside the region with high taxes, but we should not be expected to foot the bill for clean water for 2 million people.”

The GOP candidates say their local Democrat opponents and Democrats that control the county and state governments have never supported the surcharge, so it is up to Republicans to push the idea.

“The West Milford and Passaic County Democrats have no problem with taxing township residents to pay for big bloated bureaucracies in Paterson and Newark and Jersey City, but when it comes time to ask people in those communities  them to contribute to us, the Democrats run away and hide,” said Jurkovic.

“We would be glad to work with the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations and county and state Republicans to make this surcharge a reality,” said Weisbecker. 

“We need tax relief. The township is doing a good job holding down the expenses we control at the local level, but the  county and state Democrat-run governments are killing us with taxes and mandates that are driving up property taxes,” added Councilman Weisbecker.

The Republicans note that State Sen. Sen. Robert Smith (D-Middlesex) earlier this year proposed taxing water to pay only for open space preservation -- an idea they said penalizes rural communities such as West Milford. Another legislative idea making the rounds in Trenton is to tax water to pay for transportation.

“If the state is going to put a tax on water, it should go to support the municipalities  that have the burden of providing that clean water and the thousands of acres of woods that people enjoy,”  added Jurkovic.

“Since the Highlands Act prohibits virtually all revenue generation that could come from commercial enterprises, the ability of the township to raise its revenue to pay for services will be gone. Before long, without new revenue sources, no one will be able to afford to live here.  

"The escalation in taxes caused by county and state governments will drive people out of town unless we get new sources of revenue and a water surcharge makes sense,” said Councilman Weisbecker.