Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1895-10-30
COMMUNICATION.
EDITOR OF THE PRESS.

Dear Sir:-As there has been change
in the manner of levying taxes and as
most of people paying taxes are inter
ested in those taxes, / ask leave of the
Press for space enough. to partly explain
the present mode. The borough was for
merly divided into three school districts
The people of each district voted for such
sums of money as was thought required
to pay the expenses of their district
school. These sums varied, therefore the
the amount of their taxes and the tax
rate varied in the different districts.
The law making all towns, townships,
boroughs, etc. each one district was
passed and takes effect this year SO in
atead of having three districts in the bor-
ongb, the whole borough is now one
school district and the people, instead of
formerly being $1.5O per head or per
pnpil) and at the district meeting for an
other. vote for but one sum now and
vote that at the district meeting which
district as | have shown is the whole
borough.
Taxpayers will notice that the taxes
are higher in what was District IA and
District I6 and lower in District l5 and
As it was ST GA in District IA last year
their tax rate is increased Sc per 800.
In District I6 last year it was $I.72 per
500 their rate will be .4S more. while in
District Is it was $2.56 last year their
tax rate will be SO less. In District Is
last year there was 81 90 per 800 value
for special school district tax as that dis
trict raised $500 school money while in
District I6 it was .I6 and IN District IA
only .08 But why is the general rate
higher this year than last ? In the first
place there is about $1,000 more school
money raised. This is raised to build a
new school house for Mt. Pleasant, to re-
pair Smiths Landing school-house and
to pay 5000 prin. plus $I2 int. part pay
ment (and the last) of monies heretofore
borrowed to repair Pleasantville school
house which money is now paid by the
whole borough instead of by one district.
Last year there was raised $500 for
roads and $500 was taken from amount
on hand making $1,000 for roads. This
year $1,000 is raised thus making $500
more to raise. Our County tax is $40,
600 higher this year than last, causing
Pleasantville therefore to paw near $3.50
more than last. This | understand is
for bridges, asylum, Court expenses and
for repair of Court & Co.'s buildings.
The general valuation of the borough
has not been increased and in conse-
quence we receive from the State school
fund some $4,000 more than we pay for
it, whereas if the assessor had not sue
ceaded in keeping our valuation down
where the raise was made three years
ago, our taxes would now be much
higher. The taxes should be less next
year. Five years ago the State school
tax was $2I. 900 for the county and the
Co tax $4,000. This yer the State
school tax is $4,000 and the County
fax $69,0O0 When it is considered that
the county tax is three times as high,
the State school tax more than doubled
and yet Pleasantville's tax is no higher
than five years ago and we receive some
$4,000 more than we pay to run our
schools it can be readily seen that some
one has been looking out for the interests
of Pleasantville and l am modest enough
to say that it was the Assessor.