Two Middlesex County supervisors are at odds over the possibility of giving real estate tax rebates to Middlesex taxpayers, rather than lowering the tax rate after each county reassessment of property.
At the March regularly scheduled Middlesex County Board of Supervisors monthly meeting, Hartfield representative Bill Harris brought up the idea and at a recent budget workshop meeting Jamaica District supervisor Wayne Jessie said he is opposed to giving rebates to taxpayers.
Bill Harris brought the matter up in March and stated then that counties with high tax rates are getting a larger portion of state and federal funds and private grants.
“This all sounds like a shell game to me,” said Jessie at another work session meeting in March. “It is not being fair to our taxpayers and honest to the people who are giving us grants.”
Jessie also said that the county recently used the rebate system to give funds back to taxpayers for personal property taxes on cars. “This created a lot of work for the Commissioner of Revenue and Treasurer’s offices,” he said. “I do not think it is the moral or honest thing to do.”
Bill Harris said that the county needs to get more creative in finding funds to counter the high rising cost of running the county. “If we can get more grants, it will take less burden on our taxpayers,” he said.
Jessie said that with the current “national political atmosphere” there are not going to be any federal grants anyway. “I do not think we need to consider a rebate policy!” he said with a raised voice.
