Atlantic County and the State of New Jersey reached a settlement after the county sued for tax money it claimed it deserved after the state passed tax-break legislation for casinos.
The county will receive $15 million and continue to receive quarterly casino payments through next year, according to a release.
A 2016 payment-in-lieu-of-taxes program that was later amended in 2021 exempted casinos from property taxes, according to the New Jersey Monitor. Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson said casinos and Atlantic City paid less in taxes after the passage of the legislation, which forced the county’s 22 other municipalities to pay more.
“This has been a long and expensive battle for both sides,” Levinson said in the release. “Past and present county commissioners and municipal officials stood by me throughout this arduous process. Their enduring support helped bring this settlement to fruition. They shared my commitment to make our taxpayers whole.”
Levinson said Atlantic County Commissioner Ernest Coursey worked with N.J. Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Jacqueline Suarez to begin discussing a settlement.
Attorneys for the county argued the amended PILOT law would have cost the county as much as $25 million through next year, according to the New Jersey Monitor. Supporters of the PILOT laws said the support was needed to prevent the closure of casinos.
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