Breakdown: Where Did Your Washington Twp. Taxes Go In 2014?

New Jersey, land of the property tax.

But where does that money go, and what is it used for?

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs this week released its complete breakdown of each municipality’s tax payments to schools, libraries, counties, and open space sections.

Overall, Washington Township fared well in a county that had some of the highest tax paying towns in the state.

The average property value in the township in 2014 came in at $439,692, with the average annual tax payment of $10,343. The property value is good for 116th in the state, while the tax payment comes in at 109th in the state.

A total of 566 municipalities in New Jersey were included in the data breakdown.

Morris County’s average home value in 2014, the DCA said, was $403,973, and the average annual tax payment was $9,666. That ranked the county fifth and fourth in the state in those categories, respectively.

But where did your Washington Township property taxes go in 2014? Here’s a breakdown:

• Washington Township School District (grades K-8): $32,326,365
• West Morris Regional High School District (grades 9-12): $14,514,969
• Total School Taxes: $46,841,334
• Municipal Open Space Tax: $357,175
• Library Tax: $938,919.93
• Municipal Tax: $10,836,243.02
• Total Municipal Taxes: $12,132,337.95
• County Tax: $7,184,204.42
• Total Washington Township Tax Used for Tax Rate: $66,157,876.37

The total figure turns into a tax rate of 2.352 in 2014, or $2.35 in taxes for every $100 of assessed property value. That rate was good enough for 22nd in the county out of 39 municipalities.

County, municipal, and school districts are subject to a 2-percent tax levy cap each year, which prohibits each body from exceeding the previous year’s budget by two-percent. In the case that a town or school district needs to surpass the limit, a vote must be put to the public. Health and pension costs supplied by the town or school district to its employees is exempt from the tax cap.

So, what do you think, Washington Township? How does your town stack up against the rest of the county? How about the rest of the state? Are you happy with the numbers are do you think something needs to change?

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