Plan cuts property taxes for residents, Freeholder Director Kate Gibbs says
The Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders recently introduced a 2018 budget that cuts county property taxes close to three quarters of a million dollars, while maintaining and enhancing the services provided to residents, Freeholder Director Kate Gibbs said.
“The Freeholder Board has a proud tradition of year after year making Burlington County government the most fiscally responsible in the state of New Jersey,” Freeholder Director Gibbs said in a statement. “As director, I believe it is my responsibility to continue to make Burlington County an affordable, prosperous and welcoming place to live, work and retire for all. I am proud that this budget accomplishes these important objectives.”
Since 2008, the Freeholder Board has cut the total county property tax levy by close to $10 million, saving Burlington County residents a cumulative amount of more than $105 million. By comparison, all other counties in the state have had an average cumulative increase of $188 million during the same period.
The Freeholder Board has also remained committed to finding innovative, cost-effective ways to reduce government spending. With the 2018 budget, Burlington County is able to maintain the lowest annual cost per resident in the state at nearly half the amount of the statewide average.
“Our common-sense approach to making county government more efficient, and continually doing more with less, is yielding real results for our residents,” Gibbs said. “I am confident that by lessening the tax burden on our hard-working residents and investing in the programs that matter most, we will keep Burlington County affordable and improve the quality of life of our community.”
In the past year, the county’s Office on Aging distributed more than 109,000 meals to homebound seniors through the Meals on Wheels program; the county’s Veterans Office helped local veterans and their families obtain over $13.6 million in benefits; and Burlington County was praised by the American Civil Liberties Union for having comprehensive Code Blue plans in place.
Burlington County is the first and only county in New Jersey to provide 9–1–1 emergency dispatch services and recycling collection to every municipality at no cost, two of the largest shared services in the state. These two services alone have saved towns in the county approximately $100 million in the last five years.
And, most notably, figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show that in Burlington County the median household income increased by 6 percent in recent years, while at the same time the poverty rate declined by more than 2 percent; both well ahead of other counties in this region.
“Once again we are acting on our commitment to cutting property taxes, while making county government work smarter,” Gibbs said. “I promise to continue to seek opportunities to provide our residents with further relief.”
