I also learned that out of the meager 33% left of tax receipts that the town has leftover after the schools fleece their 67%, the state takes about 8% of the 33% - so there is a huge chunk gone. However, our town still pisses away taxpayer money like a dope dealer. We have "Public Safety Managers" for a small town that make 6 figures. We have fleets of vehicles that sit on a township lot unused. Basically, they spent their budget every year during the good years so they could justify a 6-7% increase in the budget for the next year. That was when home values were rising fast and the township could hike property taxes under the corrupt McGreevy and Corzine regimes. Under Christie, they are capped at 2% increase each year (which believe me they raise to the max each year).
Unreal. Can’t imagine our town would allow the numbers into the light of day, but I will at least go looking.