l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 1 【 以下文字转载自 USANews 讨论区 】
发信人: lczlcz (lcz), 信区: USANews
标 题: NJ Town Suing Homeowners to Fix Own Sidewalks or Face Fines
发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Wed Aug 13 18:22:43 2014, 美东)
NJ Town Suing Homeowners to Fix Own Sidewalks or Face Fines
Warner Todd Huston August 13, 2014
Can cities take our taxes, but pass laws that force local citizens to
individually pay for services anyway, thereby making tax dollars used solely
to pay city worker’s salaries? One city in New Jersey is trying this ploy,
anyway.
City authorities in Highland Park, New Jersey have stopped using tax dollars
to fix sidewalks and are attempting to force residents to pay their own
money to replace the deteriorating concrete slabs in front of their homes–
slabs put in by the city years ago and originally paid for with tax money.
Worse, now the city is taking residents to court who have refused to pay
their own cash to fix these sidewalks.
Two years ago the city of Highland Park passed an ordinance to save tax
dollars by requiring residents to pay their own money to fix the sidewalks.
After the ordinance was passed, city inspectors ranged out across the city
to inspect the sidewalks painting a white X on the ones the city intended to
force home and business owners to replace with their own money. Then, after
a few months time, the city began to send out letters to residents
demanding that the sidewalks be fixed at a cost of some $300 per slab.
The city claims it is a matter of “safety.” Residents say it is just a
shake down.
Now, two years later, many homeowners have refused to pay this new tax and
have not fixed the sidewalk slabs tagged by the city. So, the city is now
taking dozens of homeowners to municipal court to force them to abide by the
fiat “law.”
The city attorney has sent letters to 81 residents who have refused to pay
this new stealth tax telling them that they are being sued by the city.
Officials claim that a fine of $139 for a first “offense” will be levied
on top of the cost to replace the concrete slabs in question.
Some of the homeowners say that the sidewalks have been ruined by tree roots
from trees that are on city property and they don’t feel they should have
to pay to replace sidewalks ruined by roots coming from city-owned trees.
But whatever the cause of the deterioration, how is it proper that a city
can use tax dollars to make these walkways but then years later simply
decree that the sidewalk repairs are now the duty of individual homeowners
to make?
And if this policy stands, where does it end? Can a city say that residents
have to pay for sewers, police, other services? And if so, then what are
taxes for in the first place? Just a means to pay city workers… workers who
do… what, exactly? If city residents are supposed to pay for everything as
individuals instead of collective taxpayers, why do we need city workers?
Why not just have private services for everything and eliminate the
government and the taxes?
So, why pay taxes at all if none of that money is going to actually serve
the people?
Still, if this is the sort of corrupt program that we can expect of our
governments, then tax protests should become the norm, shouldn’t they? What
form that protest might take is hard to say, but how can citizens fight
back against this stuff? | x********x
发帖数: 463 | 2 good thing I didn't buy the house in that town. this is just stupid.
solely
ploy,
dollars
【在 l****z 的大作中提到】
: 【 以下文字转载自 USANews 讨论区 】
: 发信人: lczlcz (lcz), 信区: USANews
: 标 题: NJ Town Suing Homeowners to Fix Own Sidewalks or Face Fines
: 发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Wed Aug 13 18:22:43 2014, 美东)
: NJ Town Suing Homeowners to Fix Own Sidewalks or Face Fines
: Warner Todd Huston August 13, 2014
: Can cities take our taxes, but pass laws that force local citizens to
: individually pay for services anyway, thereby making tax dollars used solely
: to pay city worker’s salaries? One city in New Jersey is trying this ploy,
: anyway.
| z***1
发帖数: 152 | 3 The sad reality is that my town requires me, as the buyer, to fix up the
sidewalk even before the closing otherwise they will not issue CCO. And they
said that they would do a favor for me to issue an expedite permit for the
fix-up. How corrupted is that?!
solely
ploy,
dollars
【在 l****z 的大作中提到】
: 【 以下文字转载自 USANews 讨论区 】
: 发信人: lczlcz (lcz), 信区: USANews
: 标 题: NJ Town Suing Homeowners to Fix Own Sidewalks or Face Fines
: 发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Wed Aug 13 18:22:43 2014, 美东)
: NJ Town Suing Homeowners to Fix Own Sidewalks or Face Fines
: Warner Todd Huston August 13, 2014
: Can cities take our taxes, but pass laws that force local citizens to
: individually pay for services anyway, thereby making tax dollars used solely
: to pay city worker’s salaries? One city in New Jersey is trying this ploy,
: anyway.
| y****3
发帖数: 778 | | L******w
发帖数: 5407 | 5 这不是 seller的责任吗？
they
the
【在 z***1 的大作中提到】
: The sad reality is that my town requires me, as the buyer, to fix up the
: sidewalk even before the closing otherwise they will not issue CCO. And they
: said that they would do a favor for me to issue an expedite permit for the
: fix-up. How corrupted is that?!
:
: solely
: ploy,
: dollars
| z***1
发帖数: 152 | 6 卖家不想修给了钱，但township说sidewalk已经坏了很久了，这次趁卖掉一定要修，而
且要过户前修。
【在 L******w 的大作中提到】
: 这不是 seller的责任吗？
:
: they
: the
| L******w
发帖数: 5407 | 7 都拿钱了， 那当然该你修了。
【在 z***1 的大作中提到】
: 卖家不想修给了钱，但township说sidewalk已经坏了很久了，这次趁卖掉一定要修，而
: 且要过户前修。
| z***1
发帖数: 152 | 8 我修的时候又没拿钱，钱是过户的时候给的。如果我过不了怎么办？这里当然有风险，
但township就是不肯让我过完户才修。所以他们的逻辑就是要么别买，要么买方承担风
险先修。
【在 L******w 的大作中提到】
: 都拿钱了， 那当然该你修了。
| k**o
发帖数: 15334 | 9 NJ都是这样吧，隔壁Edison也是自己负责修自家门前的sidewalk。 | m****s
发帖数: 8992 | 10 I guess it is clear now 哪个关节出了问题。
【在 z***1 的大作中提到】
: 我修的时候又没拿钱，钱是过户的时候给的。如果我过不了怎么办？这里当然有风险，
: 但township就是不肯让我过完户才修。所以他们的逻辑就是要么别买，要么买方承担风
: 险先修。
| | | x****o
发帖数: 29677 | | G*********o
发帖数: 2045 | 12 啥？我们要负责门前的sidewalk的？！
【在 k**o 的大作中提到】
: NJ都是这样吧，隔壁Edison也是自己负责修自家门前的sidewalk。
| m*****1
发帖数: 2546 | 13 没有SIDEWALK。不用铲雪。
如果没家都自己修，最后启步是一家一样？
solely
ploy,
dollars
【在 l****z 的大作中提到】
: 【 以下文字转载自 USANews 讨论区 】
: 发信人: lczlcz (lcz), 信区: USANews
: 标 题: NJ Town Suing Homeowners to Fix Own Sidewalks or Face Fines
: 发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Wed Aug 13 18:22:43 2014, 美东)
: NJ Town Suing Homeowners to Fix Own Sidewalks or Face Fines
: Warner Todd Huston August 13, 2014
: Can cities take our taxes, but pass laws that force local citizens to
: individually pay for services anyway, thereby making tax dollars used solely
: to pay city worker’s salaries? One city in New Jersey is trying this ploy,
: anyway.
| z***1
发帖数: 152 | 14 Needs to be consistent. Otherwise the township will not sign off the job.
【在 m*****1 的大作中提到】
: 没有SIDEWALK。不用铲雪。
: 如果没家都自己修，最后启步是一家一样？
:
: solely
: ploy,
: dollars
| r*******d
发帖数: 663 | 15 可不是。
民主党就是要收你们的钱，然后用你的钱雇人，看你干活。
这叫大政府。
【在 x****o 的大作中提到】
: 叫你们坚持投民主党
|
|
