‘We might not be able to afford living here soon.’ That’s what members of Brigantine City Council heard all night at their meeting on September 3, 2014. Click thru to watch video>>
Some Brigantine residents getting extra-crazy tax hikes. Especially part-time residents. Some being forced to consider leaving as Mayor pushes to hire more full time fire-fighters, complete with benefits & pensions.
Gail Pratt, 25 year resident. Retired school principal from Medford. Impassioned. Angry. Sad. Getting choked up. ‘We can’t afford to stay in Brigantine’. Asks Mayor Guenther to make tough decisions.
Gail referenced corruption in Medford, NJ that caused high taxes. Pratt recalls Medford cleaned things up a bit by reducing police force from 48 to 29 officers in order to cover their 42 square mile community. ‘Things are fine’ with 29. Mayor answered Pratt by discussing effects of Atlantic City Casino issues.
- Pratt’s home had $350,000 increase in assessment. (neighbor’s assessment went down $200k)
- Her taxes increased by $14,400 this yr. (50% increase to 45k)
- Ms. Pratt notes that a bigger house w/ bigger lot nearby, is paying 15k less in taxes
- 40 ft of her lot is restricted. Can’t build on it, yet being taxed on full value.
- No children in school district, but supports strong schools because it helps all
- Pratt spent personal funds to fix drainage on public street
WATCH Gail Pratt Video>>>
Brigantine Resident Gets 30% Tax Hike to $50k Per Year.
Barry Glaser. 405 24th Street.
- Taxes up 30%
- Now paying 50k per year
- Noted similar properties, specifically from full-time residents in attendance, paying much less. Some privileged taxpayers are paying half or less in taxes, compared to Mr. Glaser’s property.
- Will Brigantine ‘go bankrupt’ from this out of control spending
WATCH Barry Glaser Video>>>
Some Brigantine Homeowners Pay Less Tax. Councilman Avoids Discussion?
Looking for tax assessments in Brigantine: Click: https://wipp.edmundsassoc.com/Wipp0103/
Interesting to see some wide variations. Some don’t seem to make sense. What do you think?
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The only way to develop equity in the property tax system in Brigantine is to set assessments at one hundred percent of the fair market value of all properties (residential, commercial, mixed, etc.) and publish the information in an easy to access and search data base. property assessments for taxes are public information but it is not easy for voters to access and compare similar properties. Once equity is achieved, responsible budgeting can be established.
Both of those houses are in the beach block 400 block of “A” Zone, probably the most prestigious area of the island. You cannot compare their assessments to non comp properties, including the golf course. It’s comparing oranges and apples. While it’s commendable that they paid for the drainage in the area, that has nothing to do with the land/building that the assessment is based on. Many including myself do not have kids in schools, yet pay high school taxes, it’s called living in a society. While I am not happy about my taxes going up almost 15%, there is more to it than local issues. Most if not all of Atlantic County municipalities took a major hit because of the situation in Atlantic City. Anyone paying less than half of Glaser’s taxes I am sure do not own a comparable property. At least tell the whole story on how property assessments are done
Your compassion and understanding of what $50,000 means is totally disgusting.
Do you work for the City? – changing the salary/benefit structure to cut the budget and lower the tax rate is something that CAN be done by Brigantine.
Your Atlantic City/County “smoke screen” is just that. Brigantine has many changes that MUST occur to effect fiscally responsible town management.
YOUR comment is self-centered to the “FEW” at the cost of many. NOW the town is even affecting the upper end… but the lower end will fall faster. LOOK at all the “old timers” that are being forced from the Island that they loved. THAT is not a good sign. Things MUST change.
Salaries make-up 60% of the budget. THAT is where the change MUST come.
Get rid of the BLOAT!
Just bought last year – wonder if i bought in the wrong beach town! Listening to these recorded videos makes you think something stinks in Brigantine.
Guess we’ll wait it out a bit. But if this continues, we’re out of here too.
If the year round residents are catching a break on taxes and the “part time” residents are picking up the slack – something really stinks!
We all know a school budget eats up the taxes and most people are ok with that – but if the other departments are being overpaid, bad deal and the council can’t turn a blind eye.
If any council members read the comments – act now or you’ll lose Brigantine. Atlantic city will come over and wreak havoc.
It’s up to you to act now.
Compare other South Jersey towns that you know with regards to demographics/ population, Sq.miles, industry,commercial and retail businesses; number of schools, number of Police and Fire (along with their pay grades).
YOU will be totally appalled at the over-indulgence that has been and continues to go on in Brigantine.
Try Cherry Hill, Deptford and other large MALL towns with miles of interstate roadways to Brigantine with the little ice cream shops, a FT population of under 9,000 and no thru highways.
The facts are facts. This situation is disgusting
Two seniors-lament. They drive by my house and arbitrarily raise my assessment. No inspection, Never called for appointment. Last year they dropped my assessment. MARKET PRICE. Year later, they raised it. How can a house priced in the $300,000 range, go up 37%?
I still say the assessment company should be taken to court with a class action suit for incompetence and more.
Who did the assessments? Qualified personnel? Realestate agents? Tax assessors from other counties? Who verified the assessments? Lots of questions to be answered. They just doomed Brigantine
I work full time. I pay into a 401K and I pay for my PPO health plan. I find cooked books and family gifted jobs on the island nauseating.
My neighbor was assessed at the same amount as me, exact same house and he pays $1,400 less the me. How does that work?
This needs to be investigated for tax fraud, code of conduct violations and corruption. The FBI needs to come in and confiscate all city of Brigantine records and be audited under a microscope.
NJ Environmental needs to do a study and make the City of Brigantine abide by their findings. Gov Christie has another blight on his record which won’t play well when running for the white house. This is a challenge to Gov Christie to step in and do a clean sweep in the city of Brigantine.
Re: Taxes and adjustments.
I’ve had my taxes lowered a few years ago. I paid an attorney to handle this. I was somewhat glad about the move until recently noticed that 3 homes identical in lot size and construction including my home had been paying a different tax amoun for years.
Something not only stinks about this but underhanded and unethical.
Let’s hope that someone soon straightens out this discrepancy ! I was planning to move back to Brigantine but hard working professionals are being financially by ‘do we cheat’em and how’.
The corruption in Brigantine sicken me. We had our home for over 30 years I am at almost a 1000 a month for taxes. And every year I put thousand of dollars to maintained. Other home big are half. It is going to come down to giving the home away to a half way shelter for a tax break. Corruption a key word. We have to fun together not just for ourselves but together clean up the people in charge, and there high salary’s.