Casino Connection Atlantic City

Doing More with Less

When people face economic hard times, they figure out what to cut, what to keep, and how to pay the bills on time. Government must do the same.

by George Tibbitt

In this era of changing marketplace conditions, the time has come for a complete re-tooling of the Master Plan for Atlantic City.

To remain the premier gaming and tourist attraction on the Eastern seaboard, we must implement a comprehensive plan that takes into account new gaming and entertainment attractions within the tri-state and other areas, while continuing to develop Atlantic City as an unparalleled convention host site.

In terms of tax dollars, Atlantic City government must do more with less, responsibly cutting our bloated budget without compromising services or, more importantly, the safety of the public.

With so many fixed costs to operate a well-structured municipal government, the real challenge lies in what you can responsibly cut. The present time is of particular concern, considering the current financial state of New Jersey, the specter of looming budget cuts and the potential loss of state aid.

When the citizens of a city have contributed their fair share through municipal and school taxes and the funds do not find their way back from either state or federal government, you begin to realize the crisis the state of New Jersey and the individual municipalities are in.

There are only two truly realistic ways to achieve meaningful budget reform: cut spending across the board, or raise taxes. To me, raising the taxes of the people of Atlantic City is unacceptable. Therefore, government must be creative, again doing more with less, just as everyone on a household budget has to do.

Speaking of challenges, our residents are currently experiencing a revaluation of their properties for the first time in more than two decades. The impact of this revaluation will be fully felt after our municipal budget is adopted and the municipal and district school tax rates are finalized.

There are standards and conditions that must be met when an appraisal company, acting as an agent for a municipality, determines the actual value of a property. The firm will utilize comparable sales in a consistent form and location along with improvements made to real property and whenever possible, a physical inspection of the particular homes in a municipality. The firm will then submit all findings for approval by the municipal tax assessor.

There is a conventional belief that in any municipal revaluation, one third of the properties will experience an increase, one third a decrease, and one third will remain the same once municipal and district school tax rates have been established.

With the extraordinarily long period between revaluations, the impact on our property owners remains to be seen. But we will unquestionably face some of the most challenging times ever, requiring government to keep its charge to serve the people while operating within its means—just like private citizens must do.