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Two Blokes Jul 7 -
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SECAUCUS, NJ — Taxes will be going up for Secaucus property owners but — thanks to some lobbying efforts from Mayor Mike Gonnelli — the town was able to reduce by half a proposed 30-percent tax increase from Hudson County. Property tax bills are made up of three parts: One to fund the public school district, another to fund the town (the municipal portion) and the third from the county to fund county services. In most towns in America, the school district makes up the largest portion of residents' property tax bills; school taxes also usually increase every year. "Taxes went up for the schools and the county," said Gonnelli this week. "We were only able to keep the town portion flat." First, the Secaucus school district budget for the upcoming 2025-'26 school year is $51.5 million. This brings with it a 4.6 percent increase on the school tax levy. That means the average assessed home in Secaucus will pay $75 more per year in school taxes, according to Grace Yeo, school district business administrator. Secondly, Hudson County tried to apply a very large tax increase to Secaucus this spring: The county sought to raise how much Secaucus pays to the county by $6.2 million, which is a 30-percent increase, said Gonnelli. This was due to some property sales in Secaucus this year that raised its county tax rate. "This was an unprecedented increase," said Gonnelli, who said he immediately began talking to the county to try to reduce the town's tax burden. State Sen. Brian Stack was tremendously helpful, said Gonnelli. "No town ever got hit with a tax increase this big. I trust Brian Stack because when he says he's going to do something, he works on it immediately," Gonnelli told Patch. "I immediately began speaking with officials at the county and state level seeking tax relief," said Gonnelli. "The County Commissioners passed a resolution in support of our request for state aid and Senator Brian Stack spearheaded efforts to bring our plight to the forefront." Gonnelli said Stack just informed him this week that Secaucus will receive $3 million in state aid, which will offset $3 million of the $6.2-million county tax increase. However, this means Secaucus is still left with a $3.2 million tax increase to the county. How much will property owners' tax bill increase? The town of Secaucus is still trying to determine that. "We have to wait for the county to confirm some details on the state aid and how it will be applied. Once they advise, we can get final tax rates from the county," said Secaucus business administrator Gary Jeffas this week. "One thing I can confirm is our municipal taxes will not have any increase in 2025. This is the portion of the budget that we control," said Jeffas. "I want to extend my sincere thanks to Senator Brain Stack, County Executive Craig Guy and the County Commissioners for their support of our residents and business community," said Gonnelli.
