Ciattarelli proposes overhaul of property taxes and school funding

JERSEY CITY, NJ  – At a press conference in Jersey City today, Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli announced his intention to alter the state’s property taxation system and school funding formula in an effort to make both simpler and fairer.

Citing comparatively low property taxes in Jersey City, Ciattarelli asked whether it was fair for homeowners in other parts of the state to be paying higher property taxes than wealthy Jersey City residents.

“We’ll continue to talk about property taxes here throughout the course of this campaign, and we’re going to continue to talk about why it is that property taxes are so high in our suburban towns, and not in places like Jersey City,” he said.

Ciattarelli blamed the disparity on the state’s current school funding system, which he blasted as inequitable.

“We need a new school funding formula,” he said. “The current formula is nefarious, it’s arbitrary, it’s unfair, and I believe it’s unconstitutional, violating the equal benefit clause of our state constitution that says that no community is supposed to suffer at the expense of another.”

However, Ciattarelli provided few details at the conference on how exactly he would go about changing both systems, saying he would standardize school funding per student and shift special education funding to the state, but largely declining to give specific numbers or plans.

Ciattarelli’s policy platform listed on his website goes somewhat more in depth, saying that if elected, Ciattarelli would freeze property taxes for all homeowners over 65 and encourage regionalization of school districts, among other proposals.

This story was updated at 8:38 p.m. to reflect proposals listed on Ciattarelli’s campaign website.