Howell Council Talks Potential Shop Local Tax Rebate Program

HOWELL, NJ - A “shop local” property tax reward program could be on the table in Howell Township, according to the last meeting of the Howell Township Council.

During the five-member committee meeting on Jan. 26, Councilman Thomas Russo - a part of Howell’s Business Recovery Task Force, noted that Brick Township in Ocean County has implemented a ‘shop local’ property tax rewards program - dubbed “Buy In Brick” - in partnership with Marlboro-based company Fincredit.

According to the company’s website, the Property Tax Reward Program (PTRP) was first developed in 2010. Under the PTRP, homeowners shopping at local participating shops receive rebates on sales in the form of property tax credits. The more homeowners shop small businesses, the more property tax credits they can earn, which are reflected on tax bills.

"I am very pleased with the Shop Marlboro Property Tax Reward Program. Our residents and our business community alike have been very positive in their assessments of the program, and the participation has been even higher than expected,” Marlboro Township Mayor Jon Hornik said in a website testimonial regarding the program.

Several municipalities including Manalapan and Ocean Township have implemented similar programs. The details of the potential program in Howell are still up in the air.

“I talked about it a couple years ago. It’s a great program,” Mayor Theresa Berger said.

“This is COVID times. Brick and Marlboro, they joined years ago. The fees might be a little high, maybe we have to work with this company to get the fees down,” councilman John Bonevich added.

Mayor Berger posited that the council should discuss the details offline, also suggesting that a Fincredit representative present more program details to the governing body in the future.

“These programs though, according to the representative, have been through this difficult time, they’ve continued the program which is a good sign that it’s working,” Russo added. “There’s really no long term commitment. To my knowledge, you can leave whenever you want with a few months’ notice. The fact that they have this program is a good sign that that’s working through this pandemic … from what the task force has seen and the research we did, we feel comfortable now to say, ‘hey listen council, take a look at this and consider it.’”

Plans for a restaurant week in Howell is also in its "earliest possible stages" according to Russo, with more information set to become available in the coming months.

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