By Amy Batista, Special Writer
EAST WINDSOR — An area citizen taxpayers group, G.E.T. R. Money Back, hosted a public forum Oct. 18 at the Senior Center to discuss the impact on local property taxes of the state diversion of energy tax receipts— utilities taxes — from municipalities.
According to the sponsors, the Mayors’ Forum was planned so citizens, including property tax payers, could hear about a real solution to the heavy tax burden facing New Jerseyans.
Hightstown Mayor Steven Kirson and East Windsor Mayor Janice Mironov participated.
East Windsor council members in attendance included Deputy Mayor Perry Shapiro and council members Alan Rosenberg and Hector Duke as well as Township Manager Alan Fisher.
”We learned about Trenton’s practice of diverting municipalities’ revenue to the state budget and it infuriated me so I founded G.E.T. R. Money Back to do just that, get our money back,” said Helen Henkel of Middletown and founder of G.E.T. R. Money Back. It was incepted this past June.
”Through programs like this evening, it is my goal to provide information to the public regarding the State’s skim of the municipal revenue,” Ms. Henkel said. “The state’s confiscation of municipal revenue goes beyond the energy tax but tonight that is going to be our main focus.”
She said, “This tax was suppose to go directly into municipalities’ budgets to reduce the amount that would need to be raised through property taxation.
”It is meant to be compensation by the utilities to the municipality. It is not and never intended to be used for State projects which is what is happening now.”
The discussion then turned over to the mayors to discuss local impact.
”We received a total of $503,000 the last two years,” said Mayor Steven Kirson. “We would anticipate if we were getting our full energy tax receipts would be double for our current municipality that has a budget that is $6.5 million, $503,000 is quite substantial.”
He continued, “So we are impacted very partially by the state holding those funds and that has put a great, great burden on the residents of the borough and as a small, older municipality we don’t have many resources to look at . . . for those funds that have been taken away from us,” Mayor Kirson said.
”How do we survive?” Mayor Kirson asked. “How do we go forward if the state is taking the money that is due to us?”
Next, Mayor Mironov addressed the audience.
”I appreciate the great work Helene and the group, G.E.T. R. Money Back, and look forward to them continuing the efforts and we certainly want to be part of supporting those efforts as much as we can,” Mayor Mironov said.
”As I have been told, the officials in Trenton are doing us a favor,” Ms. Mironov said. “They are not giving us any of the money, much less any recognition of the fact that money does not belong to them to begin with.”
She continued, “We are happy to be united with you all and the taxpayers and frankly mayors throughout the state of New Jersey in an effort to what we often at the League of Municipalities and in East Windsor call end the state’s chronic dependence on municipal property tax relief revenue to fund their budget.”
According to Mayor Mironov, when the state took over collection of these funds from municipalities they had committed to return the monies and that has not occurred.
In 2009, East Windsor received almost $300,000 less than 2008 and in 2010 had its funding reduced by more than $900,000, according to Mayor Mironov.
”There was a state legislation put into effect in the 1990s,” Mayor Mironov said. “There was a formula put into place and if one goes to the formula and just using this statutory formula that was put into place since the calendar year 2007 the state has withheld from East Windsor Township a total of based just on that formula of over $10.6 million.”
According to Mayor Mironov, in 2012, $2.8 million was withheld in energy tax receipts which equates to about 10 cents on the tax rate and equated to 25 percent of the tax rate and 41 percent of the municipal portion.”
It’s a tremendous amount of money,” Mayor Mironov said. “It has a significant impact on property tax payers and it’s wrong. It’s an injustice that taxpayers and local officials work very hard to undue to get the funds restored to the municipal governments and the local property tax payers where they belong.”
Mayor Mironov pointed out that she is the vice-president of the League of Municipalities and the chair of the Statutory Funding Committee.
”We’ve worked very hard over the recent years and this past year our efforts were doubled,” Mayor Mironov said. “We had tremendous support and this is what makes it possible and this is one of the big pluses of the organization like the League.”
”We had mayors throughout the state, both political parties as well as independents, large communities, small communities come together to push for relief on this issue because everybody recognizes the affect it has on property taxpayers,” Mayor Mironov said.
”We did make some progress and passed a bill, S1900, that did pass the Senate by a vote of 30-9 and it passed the Assembly 51-14-14, 14 No’s and 14 abstentions, bipartisan votes. It went to the governor and he readily, I think it was within 24 hours, vetoed, rejected the bill.”
”The veto can be overridden,” Ms. Henkel said. “It has to be returned to the Assembly so there is a list with their phone numbers and their districts if you want to give them a call or send them an email.”
”The more people they realize are aware of what’s going on, the better we are,” Ms. Henkel said. “We really have to play an active role in our government and that’s the only way that we are going to get things changed.”
According to Mayor Mironov, the veto can be overridden until next year and was questioned by an audience member how many vetoes would that require.
”How many votes do we need to override the veto?” asked Robert Gordon of Middletown and member of the group.
”You have to do two things,” Mayor Mironov said. “You have to keep the votes you have. The Senate is already ok. It’s the Assembly that needs to change. I think if everybody stayed were they were, it’s three.”
Mayor Kirson said, “When I see the legislature and there are so many abstentions, I take notice of that.
”Those elected officials who don’t want to take a stand who don’t want to make a statement saying you believe in something. You’ve been elected to take a stand on issue.”
He continued, “I’ll accept a ‘no’ vote, but an abstention, I’m always kind of tough on.”
”We are a non-partisan group, I don’t always know the political affiliation of the mayors, it doesn’t matter,” Ms. Henkel said in a follow-up email on Oct. 23. “I trust the mayors to do what’s best for their municipality, not those in Trenton.”
Gautham Palani, of East Windsor, attended the forum to learn some more about topic and become more informed.
”It doesn’t matter what promises people make,” Mr. Palani said. “When you don’t have money to give back, it’s not coming back. I think maybe the township should manage the receipts that way (the state) can’t control it.”

