Press Release 6/26/20

PERTH AMBOY – The Perth Amboy City Council has voted unanimously to oppose Governor Phil Murphy’s freezing of funds for two popular programs that have extended needed tax relief to senior and low-to-moderate income property owners. Funding for both the Homestead Rebate program and the Senior Freeze program has been held up by the governor in the wake of the fiscal crisis brought on by the COVID-19 health emergency.

The city council voted to support a resolution at its June 24 meeting, which demands that the governor “fully restore funding” for the Homestead Rebate program and Senior Freeze program in order to assist those residents who are most in need of property tax relief.

“I am always sensitive to the needs of our senior citizens in Perth Amboy,” said William Petrick, President of the Perth Amboy City Council, and the initiator of the resolution. “We are an economically strapped community. I am always thinking about how these decisions will impact our seniors.”

Perth Amboy has a large low-income population, and many moderate-income property owners who are especially stressed by job losses and the depressed economy. Property tax relief programs are often crucial in assisting homeowners in communities such as Perth Amboy in meeting their property tax obligations. The loss of these programs could threaten home ownership for many families, in a city where the percentage of owner-occupied homes is already extremely low.

The Homestead Rebate program allows property owners who meet certain income requirements to decrease their property tax burden by an average of several hundred dollars per year. The state reimburses municipalities that credit residents’ property tax bills. The Senior Freeze program reimburses seniors and disabled residents who meet certain requirements for increases in their property tax bills.