I first want to thank you for supporting me through the election process and welcoming me, a relative newcomer, to serving our community. I would like to extend my congratulations to the Hemant Marathe, Linda Geevers and Virginia Manzari team for the victory.
I will continue to contribute to West Windsor on grant applications and infrastructure and transportation improvements, working together with the new administration. In January, I’ll be seeking the appointment to the council seat currently held by Hemant, and I will run for that seat November 2018.
Meanwhile, I want to remind you of a rapidly approaching deadline for a New Jersey property tax reduction program: if you are under 65 and your gross income was less than $75,000, or you are over 65 and the gross income was less than $150,000 for 2015, you may be eligible for a 2015 homestead benefit. The filing deadline is Nov. 30.
On another, related subject: while it is true that a major portion of our property taxes are modulated at the state level, at the local level, the following initiatives can bring our property taxes/expenses down, significantly.
Better roads can save every family $300 peryear in tire maintenance alone, community shuttles to township entities will, in the long term, save $300 in school bus cost per household (paid through property tax) and additional car expenses, and better city planning such as retaining the zoning of Howard Hughes property for research and offices can bring back the revenue we once had—another $500 to $1,000 per household. All of these means the possibility of a $2,000 perhousehold tax cut that our mayor and council can produce.
In summary, let property tax not be the cause of our residents to leave. In particular, senior residents. I hope to earn your support for my council position campaign to become a nonpartisan voice in our new administration that contributes to the effort of realistically bringing down your taxes.
— Yan Mei Wang
Wang ran an unsuccessful campaign to be elected West Windsor mayor this year.
