N.J. Towns seeking greater share of energy taxes

A group representing New Jersey’s municipalities is renewing its push for a greater share of the money cities and towns are entitled to in exchange for having energy and utility lines and plants in their communities.

The League of Municipalities is hosting an event Tuesday to press the state to return more of the energy taxes it collects from utilities. The money is intended as property tax relief — a sort of payment-in-lieu-of-taxes.
League spokesman Bill Dressel says the state has been diverting increasing portions of the towns’ revenue to balance the budget. Hundreds of millions of dollars is at stake statewide.

Dressel says municipalities need the cash because some local costs are rising by more than 2 percent a year, the maximum property tax increase allowed by law.