Dear Kearny Taxpayer:
Your tax bills for the 3rd and 4th quarters of calendar year 2020 and the 1st and 2nd quarters of calendar year 2021 are enclosed. The due date for the 3rd quarter tax bill is August 31, 2020. By State law, quarterly payments received after that date will incur interest from August 1, 2020. If you would like to pay your taxes in person, the Tax Collector’s Office at Town Hall will be open late until 7 p.m. on August 25, 2020.
For the third year in a row, the municipal portion of your property taxes has decreased slightly. In recent years, our municipal revenues have benefitted from growth in the following: real estate valuations; annual payments to the Town in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) that were used to spur economic redevelopment on Passaic Avenue and in South Kearny; and tax sharing receipts from the Meadowlands District. However, we expect that the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will have a material negative impact on revenues for the remainder of 2020 and into 2021. In preparation for a possible downturn, we are doubling our budget reserves and keeping overall appropriations flat.
As you may know, while Kearny’s Town government is charged with the responsibility of collecting property taxes, the Town of Kearny keeps only 37% of taxes collected to pay for municipal services and the public library. About 15% of the amount collected is sent to the County of Hudson and 48% is sent to the Kearny School District. For all of calendar year 2020, the portion of your tax bill that pays for municipal services decreases 1.72%, which is a reduction of $65 on a residential property with an average assessment. The County’s taxes decrease by 3.2%, for a reduction of $50. Kearny School taxes rise by 1.36% or $65. The net impact is an annual decrease of $50 on the average assessment.
Where does my property tax dollar go?
With the 37% share of the property taxes collected, the Town of Kearny provides the following services:
- Police Department
- Senior Transportation
- Road Maintenance
- Fire Department
- Municipal Court
- Leaf Collection
- Library
- Public Health Services
- Snow Plowing
- Curbside Garbage Pickup
- Sewage/Wastewater Management
- Tree Maintenance
- Stormwater Management
- Recreational Facilities/Programs • Municipal Playgrounds
During these unprecedented times, the Council and I recognize the vital importance of providing effective health and first responder services. For the latest updates and alerts, please visit our website at www.kearnynj.org. For emergencies, we also use a “reverse 9-1-1” system that calls all landlines in Kearny; if you wish to include your cell phone in this alert system, please visit https://www.kearnynj.org/swift911 alerting-system/ and register your cell number.
Please also note that the State of New Jersey offers various property tax relief programs including the Senior Freeze (Property Tax Relief) Program for property owners who are 65 are older. Information about these programs is available on the State’s web site, http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/relief.shtml, or in the Tax Collector’s Office at Town Hall.
Finally, we ask that you patronize as much as possible local businesses that closed during the pandemic. Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy. They need our support! If you are a small business in Kearny, please note there is a new small business program that provides grant funds for eligible expenses. Please visit the Town’s web site for the latest information on how to apply.
Very truly yours,
Alberto G. Santos, Mayor
