Democratic Councilman Mark Yampaglia believes additional outside revenues will keep Property Taxes Stable!
NORTH ARLINGTON – Bergen County’s southernmost community is often mistaken as part of Hudson County, but don’t say that to an NA resident.
“North Arlington is where Bergen County begins, we’re very proud of that distinction,” said one local when asked to comment.
While most people may not know that roughly 16,000 people reside in North Arlington, another 300,000 individuals also have their final resting place at Holy Cross Cemetery, a beautiful, quiet and pristine locale that also hosts one of the largest Catholic mausoleums in the United States.
Established in 1915, Holy Cross is comprised of some 210 acres of open space that if on the market would value at roughly $190,000,000. To put into perspective, neighboring Paramus to the north has cemetery facilities valued at $119,000,000 while the City of Newark has cemetery property valued at $110,000,000.
In a community of just 2.5 square miles, North Arlington houses a deceased population of some 300,000 people.
That’s roughly the same size as Pittsburgh, PA (307,000), Lexington, KY (301,000) and Cincinnati, OH (296,000). There are more people buried in North Arlington then those alive in the state’s two largest municipalities, Newark and Jersey City.
In fact when compared to Arlington Memorial, that cemetery sprawls over 624 acres and 400,000 buried, most being war veterans and those killed in action in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
But in the case of North Arlington that lacks the kind of ratable base that offers substantial tax relief for homeowners in comparison to neighboring Secaucus or Kearny, hosting cemetery operations is costly in terms of lost taxable parcels that will never come to market.
Councilman Mark Yampaglia, who has served on the North Arlington Governing Body since 2005 believes a revenue alternative can exist for homeowners should a PILOT come to fruition.
“There is a cost to North Arlington in terms of a lost revenue and economic opportunity. Payments in Lieu of Taxes or more commonly referred to as PILOT’s is something that demands a serious discussion with the Archdiocese of Newark as well as the Legislature and the Governor’s Office. I don’t believe it is unreasonable to seek compensation for lost revenue. We simply don’t have the development and redevelopment opportunities of other like communities and this is something that should receive bipartisan assistance and support,” noted Yampaglia, a lifelong resident and attorney with office in Rutherford and Jersey City.
While hosting a cemetery that offers tranquility and open space for residents, the cost of local government continues to rise.
“Property Taxes are increasing. The cost of local government is increasing. Salaries, healthcare and pension costs are rising and to maintain the kind of level of services residents expect, we need to investigate any revenue opportunity that takes the pressure off our homeowners. PILOT’s should be considered.”
Yampaglia also believes a discussion with the legislature would be fruitful as to the possibility of extraordinary aid that could be generated because of the fact North Arlington has limited economic development and redevelopment.
“Redeveloping River Road and taking advantage of the Passaic riverfront makes economic sense. Taking a hard look at Schuyler Avenue as well as Ridge Road in terms of maximizing opportunity is good common sense. There can be a healthy mix of redevelopment that is in sync with our small town character and charm,” note Yampaglia.
Yampaglia believes for North Arlington to prosper the community needs to examine all possibilities and out-of-the-box proposals.
“Who thought Federal Express was possible after the EnCap housing scheme? The two are intertwined. Had we not stopped EnCap, Federal Express would not have occurred. Poor planning and decision-making has consequences and we as a community need to work together to see what we can generate in sustainable revenue beyond the wallets of our homeowners. This is a small-town. On the big issues we can no longer be Democrats or Republicans. North Arlington and policies that tackle our revenue challenges must be bipartisan, smart and long-term,” offered the four-term Democrat.
What do you think?
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