Property Taxes
NJSpotlight has another fantastic interactive map on their site today that compares property tax bills across the state. The map is fascinating since it compares the average property tax bill by municipality, not the actual tax rate. By average tax bill, Atlantic City looks pretty reasonable compared with Linwood, Northfield, Longport and Margate. But as we all know around here, Atlantic City’s tax rate is through the roof ($3.859 per $100 of taxable assessed value, according to this Department of Community Affairs (DCA) data from 2016). Perhaps more surprisingly, though, if you look at the raw data here on the DCA site, Mullica Township and Egg Harbor City’s tax rates are even higher (at $4.533 and $4.41). Why? Their school tax rate is much higher. Where has the lowest tax rate but the highest average tax bill? Longport – probably no surprises there. Anyway, it’s really worth taking a look at the raw numbers, we’ve been geeking out over them all morning.
New Drug-Detox Clinic
Local conglomerate Ole Hansen & Co is taking a step further into the drug and alcohol abuse treatment business with plans for a detox clinic in Atlantic City. We wrote about the plans here yesterday after the company presented to the zoning board. The clinic will be out past Bader Field on Route 40, where Ole Hansen & Co used to run a successful bus-parking business. It’s a good location for a detox clinic in a lot of ways since it’s isolated and far from residential areas (and as the zoning board agreed, there’s a clear need for the services) But it’s also a pretty chilling statement on local affairs, that this is where smart business people are now putting their money… On the same topic today, NJ Spotlight has a story scrutinizing Gov. Christie’s plans for drug-abuse treatment and how they will work in practice.
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The rest of today’s headlines include stories on the Kim Guadagno’s policy platform for the governor race, a new look at lead-contaminated water in schools, Atlantic County freeholder John Carman’s (late) apology for his Facebook meme, and (another) new building at Rowan University. All that below:
Atlantic City Police Warn of Bad Heroin Batch–Atlantic City police are warning the public about a potentially bad batch of heroin. Six people have died of overdoses in the past week, with at least two tied to a batch stamped “King of Death.” BreakingAC
Guadagno Comes Out Strong for Charters, School Choice–For all of her differences with her boss, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno yesterday made clear in one of her first policy talks as a candidate for governor that charter schools and school choice are not among them. Guadagno spoke before a group of charter advocates at the annual School Choice Summit. After remaining long-silent on many public policy issues, she made clear that she fully supported Gov. Chris Christie’s agenda to expand charter schools in New Jersey — and might even take it further if elected governor. www.njspotlight.com
Does State’s Solution to Lead-Contaminated Schools End with Bottled Water? – NJ Spotlight – http://www.njspotlight.com/–The state has long recognized that it has a problem with lead in its drinking water, but finding and funding a fix is proving to be no simple task, legislators were told yesterday. Lead has been found in water in public schools across New Jersey, including Newark and Camden where students have been drinking bottled water for more than a decade. Earlier this month, high levels of lead forced Englewood Hospital to switch supplies. www.njspotlight.com
NJ Freeholder Apologizes for Facebook Post During Women’s March–Five days after posting a meme about women cooking him dinner, John Carman apologized. The Atlantic County freeholder who faced sharp criticism for a Facebook post during the women's marches across the country last weekend had initially told critics to "lighten up." NJ.com
Rowan Unveils Latest Building to the University’s Campus–Rowan University is continuing to grow with the opening of its newest building. The Henry M Rowan College of Engineering at Rowan University, which will help the University teach its rapidly-rising intake of engineers, held a grand opening on Thursday. www.snjtoday.com
Why New Jersey Is Encouraging Moms to Put Their Newborns in a Box–A statewide safe-sleeping campaign featuring free cardboard "Baby Boxes" rolled out Thursday at Cooper University Hospital, part of the newest effort to reduce the number of infants dying from Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome (or SUIDS). New Jersey is the first state where all expecting and new parents can receive mattress-lined boxes and infant care supplies after completing some training from The Baby Box Co. USA TODAY
Five People Charged With Fraudulent Hurricane Sandy Relief Applications–Five people have been charged with filing fraudulent applications for federal Hurricane Sandy relief funds, including one property in Atlantic County and three in Ocean County. The five defendants filed fraudulent applications for relief funds offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, low-interest disaster loans from the Small Business Administration or funds from the Department of Health and Human Services, according to a release from the state Attorney General’s Office. Press of Atlantic City