In a letter to the editor, Jersey City resident Yvonne Balcer expresses her point of view that the city “has a serious problem with spending,” not taxing.
Dear Editor,
After reading Jonathan Schwedel’s letter on the budget woes, his answer is to tax more wealthy people. Actually, the problem is spending.
As an example, when Mayor Fulop came into office, the previous budget was $485 million, and his last budget was $774 million.
Our politicians have expensive taste.
According to published reports, the average property taxes in the State of New Jersey are $10,570 but the average Jersey City property taxes are $10,624 (both 2025 numbers), so Jersey City is slightly higher than the state average and pays more than the national average of $1,889 (2023 numbers) for property taxes.
The reason for the fiscal woes is the fact that Jersey City exempts certain groups from full taxation but they use the same services as those paying full taxes.
Rent control is found in many municipalities around New Jersey. Tenants around the state are allowed to have tax increases while controlling what the landlord can earn, but not in Jersey City.
Jersey City’s rent control ordinance places rent control tenants under the Consumer Price Index, similar to Social Security.
The landlord receives the increase and goes to Hudson County Tax Court, where he appeals and wins.
Last year, the budget showed $34 million in successful tax appeals and in 2024, that was $49 million. Those appeals are paid for by the small homeowner, one of the reasons why our bond debt is so high.
Why does the city ignore the fact that affordable housing is not considered ratables but contracts? Affordable housing brings in more students to the school system but is exempt from paying school taxes.
According to the Superintendent of Schools Norma Fernandez, Jersey City should be paying $739 million but paid instead $534 million, so there is a deficit of $205 million.
Schwedel’s letter believes the “rich must pay more.” Well, if they own property as well as a business, they are paying more.
They are paying a business tax which brings in as much as $100 million to the school system. So, the wealthy is paying, it is just too many people are exempt from taxes who vote in our elections to ask the government to spend money.
Jersey City has a serious problem with spending. In 2024, Jersey City had 4,200 people in lien Our neighbor, Secaucus, had one property in tax lien.
Of course, Secaucus is one-tenth the size of Jersey, but that would be 10 properties in tax lien if it was the same population.
If Jersey City were serious about solving its budget problem, it would stop giving out tax abatements and allow tenants to have tax increases like other municipalities around the state.
Basically, the city has been in the business of buying voters by protecting them from the consequences of all the free stuff people want.
Yvonne Balcer
Jersey City resident
So, after claiming that the problem is spending and not taxing, Yvonne launches into her standard TED Talk on taxes, abatements, affordable housing, rent control, and, of course, socialism.
Spoiler: She’s against all of them.
Not many specifics on spending 🙄