Residents of Millstone Township, we are asking you to join the effort to help fight for lower property taxes. Please review the letter below protesting the State's decision to charge Millstone for State Police Services. We ask that you complete the form at the end of the letter to send it via e-mail to the Governor, State Treasurer, Chief-of-Staff and legislators (see attached list). Thank you.

Governor Jon Corzine
State House
P.O. BOX 001
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-001
www.state.nj.us/govenor

Dear Honorable Corzine:

As a resident of Millstone Township Monmouth County, I am writing to express my concern for the additional property tax burden that will be placed on our small rural community by charging the residents of Millstone Township for State Police services.  Our Township already faces severe hardship because of the state aid cuts in 2008, as well as the imposed state mandates on storm water regulations, deer carcass removal, and new 3rd round COAH rules.

This action by the state government will force an automatic local property tax increase of over 26% in 2009 based upon the current mandate.  Our township is already run in a fiscally responsible manner.  The 2008 municipal budget was drastically cut, hiring freezes were put in place, and multiple inter-local agreements are already in place and being expanded upon.

The New Jersey State Police were established in 1921 with a clear mission to patrol rural areas.  No fees were part of that legislation.  The Township already returns large sums of money to the State of New Jersey for all State Police ticket fines issued in our community.  The Township also pays for all court personnel to handle those fines.  All municipalities in the State of New Jersey benefit from the services of the State Police (e.g. crime labs; special task forces;  marine police; computer crimes etc.), just to name a few, at no cost to these municipalities.   To single out rural communities and not charging other municipalities in the state for other services provided by the State Police contradicts your position of ‘Fairness’ and consequently is completely Unfair.

Our Township is pleased to be a State Police community and we highly commend them for their professionalism.  Charging our community for what is already one of the best shared services in New Jersey will only unnecessarily increase local property taxes.  I also believe that this action is an unfunded state mandate that arbitrarily passes on a local property tax increase to residents like me instead of the State of New Jersey fulfilling its constitutional obligation.

I understand that Senator Van Drew, Assemblymen Albano and Assemblymen Milam have already proposed legislation for a $9 surcharge on traffic fines that would avoid subjectively increasing local property taxes on residents of rural communities.  Please endorse this legislation and/or sit down with municipal officials to constructively find a solution that would avoid unnecessarily increasing local property taxes even further.

Sincerely,