(TRENTON) — Assembly Democratic lawmakers Nelson Albano, John Burzichelli, Matt Milam, Paul Moriarty and Celeste Riley on Saturday asked Gov. Chris Christie to request emergency help from the federal government to help pay for costs rung up during the ongoing snowstorm and to ease the burden on property taxpayers.
Albano, Burzichelli, Milam, Moriarty and Riley said the storm that was expected to dump about 2-feet of snow on parts of South Jersey comes when taxpayers can least afford to get hit with expensive cleanup costs.
“Taxpayers already have had a difficult enough time making ends meet during these tough economic times,” said Albano (D-Cumberland/Cape May/Atlantic). “The last thing we need is to see our residents to take a big property tax hit when cleanup help may be out there.”
“This storm has already slammed our residents with heavy snow,” said Burzichelli (D-Gloucester/Cumberland/Salem). “We don’t want to see them get slammed again with a property tax increase when federal assistance may be available. Let’s seek it.”
“Doing anything we can to ease the already heavy burden on New Jersey property taxpayers is simply the right thing to do,” said Milam (D-Cumberland/Cape May/Atlantic). “Seeking this help for our taxpayers is common sense and we should do it quickly.”
“Our crews are doing a great job working hard clearing our roads and ensuring public safety, but that all costs money,” said Moriarty (D-Gloucester/Camden). “Property taxpayers cannot afford that hit right now, so let’s seek this help as soon as possible.”
“This federal help could ease the burden on our property taxpayers and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t seek it quickly,” said Riley (D-Cumberland/Gloucester/Salem). “It’s going to cost a bundle to clean this storm up and the chance to get this federal help cannot be passed up.”
Federal funding is available to State and eligible local governments on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by snowstorms.
Also, assistance is available to state and local governments on a cost-sharing basis for emergency measures, including snow removal assistance, for a continuous 48-hour period.
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