What's Up Parsippany

The geography of Parsippany Troy Hills has always been an obstacle to creating a feeling of whole-town community. Most residents identify with the section of town in which they live…. if you ask “Where do you live?” the answer might be Lake Parsippany or Hiawatha or Rainbow or Morris Plains or Powder Mill or Mount Tabor, or the name of the development or apartment complex, but it usually ISN’T Parsippany Troy Hills.

So how did that happen? Parsippany-Troy Hills was separated from Hanover Township in 1928, at which point it was two small Revolutionary War era towns (Troy and Parsippany) and Mount Tabor (started 1859), with the lake communities just being built. The Jersey City Reservoir construction (1905) had already eliminated a whole part of the town, and effectively separated Lake Intervale (Boonton) section from the Lake Hiawatha area.

As a rural dairy farming area in the 1920″s through 1950’s, the widely separated units of Parsippany became communities on their own.
With the construction of Interstate Routes 287 and 80, the township was divided into quarters. There are only five local roads that cross Route 80 (Fox Hill Road, Littleton, Parsippany, Baldwin, South Beverwyck) and four that cross over or under 287 (Intervale, 46, Littleton, Parsippany). This makes it harder for people from different areas to make contact unless they have a car. Most people identify, shop, and socialize in their own area of town, and may not be very interested in problems specific to another area of town.
When Parsippany High School  was the only high school in town in the late 1950’s and 1960’s, there was a good sense of community between students who  got to know classmates from all over Parsippany. This source of community feeling was interrupted with the opening of Parsippany Hills High School in the early 1970’s.
Churches, scout troops, schools and sports teams all create community spirit, but they, again, are local to a specific area of town. The summer concerts bring people together from all over the town. The Street Fair was another place where you could get a sense of the whole town with many civic groups able to showcase their efforts.  That, unfortunately, has been a victim of budget cuts.
A wider sense of comunity spirit may not be crucial, but as we enter  harder economic times, we all need a wider sense of neighborhood. We may feel comfortable in our smaller segments of the town, but we need to understand the Parsippany-Troy Hills community as a whole.

It’s here again! On June 19th, the Parsippany Farmer’s Market again began to sell fresh veggies and fruit and honey at Town Hall Parking lot. Open hours are 1:30 to 6:30. Last week, Alstede and Stoney Hill Farms were selling peaches and corn, as well as all the other good things we have come to expect.

It is only fair to give credit to the two Parsippany citizens who had the inspiration and contributed the perspiration to get this project started. Connie Keller and Susan Elbin (two registered Democrats, by the way) got this market going three years ago. So although you may read about sponsorship, these two women are the reason that we have this community resource.

And a fantastic resource it is. Last Friday, seniors and younger shoppers greeted the farmers like old friends, and gathered goodies for Fourth of July celebrations. Thanks, Susan and Connie, for making this idea a reality.

Across the country recently there has been an incredible outbreak of political venom.  It is impossible to listen to the media without hearing a talking head or a politician throwing mean verbal barbs at some elected official or candidate.  But this is not new, as our country has a bit of history when it comes to nastiness in the political world.

 Almost from the very beginning of our elective process, there has been brutal criticism of elected or want-to-be elected officials.  Even our first President, George Washington, was accused of reveling, gambling and taking bribes from the British during the Revolutionary War. 

 In the presidential campaign of 1796, John Adams, a Federalist and vice-president under Washington was pitted against Thomas Jefferson, a Republican who had been Secretary of State under Washington. These two men had at one time been friends, having both served in the Continental Congress in 1776 where Adams helped to approve the Declaration of Independence which was written primarily by Jefferson.  While these men did not openly campaign for themselves, with Adams staying at his home in Massachusetts and Jefferson in Virginia, their supporters engaged in personal defamation, with Adams being called “His Rotundity” due to his stout physique and Jefferson accused of being an atheist, indecisive and a French puppet.  The Electoral College, which at that time worked differently than now, chose Adams as president and his opponent, Jefferson, as vice-president. 

 Adams and Jefferson were again opponents in the election of 1800 and the campaign rhetoric was even nastier.  Jefferson’s supporters called Adams “a hideous hermaphroditic character” while Adams supporters retorted that Jefferson was “a mean- spirited, low-lived fellow.”  Jefferson won the election and went on to serve two terms as president while Adams retired from public life. 

 Eventually, the two men made up and became fast friends again, carrying on a robust relationship through their written correspondence for 14 years.  Jefferson passed away at the age of 83 and Adams at 90.  But the amazing thing is that they both died on the 4^th of July, 1826, exactly 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence!!. 

So maybe there is hope that current political foes will have a change of heart and while they may not become friends, hopefully they can put aside petty politics and work together finding practical solutions to our many public challenges.

When you get your tax bill, you see several tax rates, one for each of the entities that raise money from your property taxes.  In 2009 the rates were: 

County —————————–.256

Local———————————.517       This is the municipal tax rate.

Municipal Open Space——-.02

School —————————-1.499

County Open Space———-.043

Fire District                                           There are 6 fire districts in town and the rates vary by district.

The dollar amount shown on your tax bill for each entity is the tax rate that is shown multiplied by the assessed value of your property per 100 dollars, or the assessed value divided by 100.  Your assessed value is also shown on your bill.

But how are the rates calculated?  For the explanations that follow, budget means the amount of a budget to be raised by taxes, after fees, grants, state aid and other revenues are subtracted from the total annual budget appropriations.  Also, differences in rounding calculations may give slight variations in results.

Municipal and School Tax Rates

The municipal and school tax rates are computed by dividing the respective budgets by the total assessed value per 100 dollars of all the properties in the municipality.  For example, in 2009, the total assessed value of all property in Parsippany was $7,498,142,742.  If you divide that by 100, you get the total assessed value per 100 dollars, or $74,981,427.42 .  The municipal budget to be raised by taxes in 2009 was $38,814,650.45.  If you divide the municipal budget by the total assessed value per 100 dollars you get a tax rate of .517, which is the Local tax rate listed above.  The school budget to be raised by taxes was 112,326,004.  If you divide that by the assessed value per 100, you get the school tax rate of 1.499.

Fire District Rates

Your fire district rate is computed by dividing the budget of your particular fire district by the total assessed value per 100 dollars of just those properties in your fire district.

Municipal Open Space

Parsippany’s open space tax rate was fixed by referendum at 2 cents per 100 dollars of the assessed value of a property.

County Tax Rate

Computing the county tax rate is more complicated because all of the 39 municipalities in Morris County must share proportionately, according to the size of their total property value, in paying for the county budget. However, before the proportionate shares are computed, the assessed values must be “equalized”, since towns assessments are done in different years. So each year the New Jersey Division of Taxation develops a ratio for every municipality which brings the assessed value up to an estimated market value or equalized value as it is called.  Parsippany’s equalized value in 2009 was 9,825,897,971 and the sum of all the towns equalized values, or the county equalized value, was 103,669,450,016.            

The equalized value of each municipality is divided by the county equalized value to give the proportionate share or percent of the county budget that each will pay.  Parsippany’s share in 2009 was 9.502%.  The 2009 county budget of $202,051,684.65 multiplied by 9.502% gives $19,198,621.39 which was the amount of the county budget we paid in 2009.  Dividing this amount by our total assessed value per 100 dollars gives the 2009 county tax rate of .256.

County Open Space Tax Rate

The county open space trust fund was approved in a county wide referendum and allows the County Freeholders to set the open space tax rate each year at between 0 and 5 cents per 100 dollars of the total county equalized value.  The rate for 2009 was set at 3.25 cents.  So, the county equalized value per 100 dollars multiplied by .0325, was $33,692,571, which was the total amount to be raised for the county open space trust fund.  Parsippany’s percent, 9.502  (see above) multiplied by the county open space amount, was 3,201,413.15, the amount we paid in 2009.  This, divided by our total assessed value per 100 is .043, which was the county open space tax rate.

 More than you probably ever wanted to know!!. 

Every 10 years the Federal Government conducts a census to determine the total population of the country.  Based on the results, the number of members of the House of Representatives that each state will be allotted is calculated.   The results of this census could mean that New Jersey loses representation in Congress as well as other federal funds based on population.

The constitution states that there will be 435 members of the House of Representatives, or 435 congressional districts.  The population of each congressional district is to be equal, except that each state must have at least one. 

The size of a congressional district is determined by dividing the total population of the country by 435.  Currently, the size of a congressional district is 646,952.  The population of each state is then divided by the size of a congressional district, giving the number of members of the House of Representatives that each state will have.  In actuality, it is a bit more complicated when taking into account that every state, even those states like Alaska, Vermont and Wyoming that have a population less than the size of a congressional district, must have one Representative.  Plus, the calculations do not yield whole numbers so mathematical adjustments are made.

What happens if the number of Representatives that a state is allotted changes after the census?  This is where redistricting, or as it is sometimes referred to as gerrymandering comes in.  The districts have to be redrawn to accommodate the change and this is sometimes a very contentious process, as there can be real political considerations in how this is done.

In New Jersey, a Redistricting Commission is responsible for redrawing congressional district boundaries. The commission is made up of 13 members. The speaker of the General Assembly, the president of the State senate, the minority leaders of both houses of the legislature and the chairpersons of the two largest political parties in the state must each appoint two members. The thirteenth member is chosen by majority vote of the twelve appointees.

New Jersey currently has 13 members of the House of Representatives and the question that many are asking is, “Will we lose representation as a result of the census.”  Estimates are that since the 2000 census the national population has increased by about 9%, while New Jersey’s has increased only 3.5%.  Some analysts have projected we may lose one seat, while others think we will retain our 13 seats.  That is why we must make sure that every resident of New Jersey is counted.   

What affect will the census have on the New Jersey Legislature?  The legislature, by statute, is made up of 40 legislative districts, with 2 Assembly Representatives and one Senator in each. All legislative districts are to have the same population.  Since the census will definitely show a growth in state population, there will be a need to adjust the legislative district lines.  This will be done by an Apportionment Commission made up of 10 members, 5 appointed by each of the chairpersons of the two largest political parties in the state and if they fail to complete the task in a predetermined time frame, another member is selected by the Chief Justice of the State Supreme count.

Now you know the effect of the census.  So, make sure you and all your friends and neighbors get counted!!

Parsippany residents can rest assured that they will always have a safe supply of our most precious resource, water.  With several wells pumping water from the Buried Valley Aquifer and with the ability to draw water from the Jersey City Reservoir,  we know when we turn on the tap there will be clean, potable water coming out.

 But what many residents don’t know is that our water is also a real bargain from the standpoint of cost.  Parsippany residents pay a flat rate of $16.85 each quarter which allows for consumption of up to 10,000 gallons.  For consumption above 10,000, there is a charge of 1.97 per each 1,000 gallons.  

 The table below shows what Parsippany and 11 of our neighboring towns charge quarterly for those customers using water from a public metered water system.  Costs for 10,000 and 20,000 gallons of water consumption are shown. 

 Just another reason to be glad you live in Parsippany!!

Parsippany, as of the 2008-2009 school year, had about 7100 students enrolled in the school district, the most of any town in Morris County.  Looking at some other towns in the county, Randolph had 5500 students, Mt. Olive had 4900, Roxbury  4300 and Jefferson 3600.  Yet these towns all received considerably more school aid from the state than did Parsippany.

Parsippany was allocated 7.2 million dollars in state aid, while Randolph got 12.5 million, Mt. Olive 14.4 million, Jefferson 14.4 and Roxbury 12.8.    Why is this?

The NJ Department of Education uses a school funding formula to determine the amount of aid they will approve for each school district in the state.  This formula is very complicated and should be refined but that is what determines school aid. (The link below goes to a DOE PDF file which shows the formula results for all towns. http://www.state.nj.us/education/sff/profiles/0910/dist/27.PDF)

The primary reason why Parsippany receives less aid than the smaller school districts listed above is that the state formula weighs heavily on the total property value of a town.  Parsippany has a much higher total property value than the others.  Parsippany’s total equalized property value, which the state uses in the aid formula, is over 9.8 billion dollars, while none of the other towns have even close to that value.  For example, Randolph’s is 4.9 billion.  Note that the equalized value is the current assessed value with a ratio applied to it to bring it closer to market value.

A good portion, over 40 percent, of Parsippany’s property value comes from our large commercial base, primarily from the many office buildings in town.  So, while having this commercial base brings us less school aid, the commercial base pays over 40 million of the school property taxes in Parsippany.  We still come out ahead!!!

With so many major highways crossing Parsippany, we don’t have to go far to see the mess that New Jersey’s roads are in.  It is almost impossible to avoid the potholes, some of which are more like sinkholes.  When you can’t avoid one and hit it square on, your teeth rattle and you pray you haven’t broken an axle in your car.   And this will get worse when the after affects of this winter set in.

Not only do we have to deal with the potholes, but there is debris along the highways that hasn’t been properly cleaned up for years.  This hardly helps our image as the “Garden State”.  There was a time when New Jersey was known for the quality of its road network.

But for several years now, as the state has devolved into a precarious financial situation, our roads have been sorely neglected.  And with the Transportation Trust Fund slated to run out of money in 2011, it doesn’t appear that this situation will improve for a long time.

Unless, of course, the state can find some way to replenish the Trust Fund, not an easy task.  I and most of the public don’t really like any of the options.  One that has been tossed around is to place tolls on more of our highways.  That will just cause more backups and delays which we don’t need. Plus, the cost of collection for tolls is estimated to be 14 to 20 percent of revenue collected. Another option is to raise the gas tax.  New Jersey’s gas tax, 14.5 cents per gallon, is the fourth lowest in the country behind Alaska, Georgia and Wyoming.  Looking at our neighboring states, New York’s tax is 42.5 cents per gallon, Pennsylvania’s is 32.3 and Connecticut’s is 36.4.  And the cost of a gas tax is only 1 to 2 percent of revenue collected.

Taking all of the above into consideration, it seems that it’s time to raise the gas tax.  But before that is done, there must be assurances that the revenue raised will be dedicated to the Trust Fund and not diverted for other purposes.  The public needs to be assured that they are getting what they pay for and that our roads will again be maintained as they should be.

Tax levels are linked to level of services.  This is true for both Parsippany-Troy Hills municipal government and for the Board of Education. Additionally, the greatest part of any budget consists of salaries and benefits for workers who produce the services.

To reduce taxes, you need to reduce services. To increase services, or maintain them, you need to increase revenue (taxes or income).  A budget needs to consider priorities for spending and needs to define essential services.

Why do citizens need to inform themselves about budgets?? So they can be a part of the decision-making process.  How does a citizen stay informed?? By attending meetings and budget hearings and by questioning elected representatives to the school board and to town council.