ratables

The towns that don't have ratables would improve their situation.

"The residents lose their jobs and the town loses its ratables."

What we need is to bring in light manufacturing, office parks, real tax ratables.

Without new ratables, they would have to raise taxes from the same old sources, these residents.

If it can be done within increased ratables, we might support that, too."

"New housing would help add ratables and spur economic development," he said.

"I'm for more commercial ratables in our town, and the sooner the better," he said.

Still, some residents feel the town may be too eager in its pursuit of ratables.

This, of course, means fewer ratables and higher residential property taxes.

The town has very few commercial ratables, she noted.

It will create some ratables and some jobs, but that's not enough.

"Why are you giving these developers such a hard time, when our town's so desperate for ratables?"

For still others, it means using surpluses from growing ratables with little or no effect on individual tax bills.

"We had disinvestment, lost tax ratables and people were fleeing the city."

By contrast, farmland costs only 24 cents for every dollar of ratables.

"Last year for the first time in a number of years, Clifton's tax ratables didn't decrease," he said.

"Buildings in the ground meant higher ratables for Jersey City."

"The town wanted ratables and zoned accordingly, but now that people are actually building there we want to get some control over it."

Positive tax ratables and a provision for open space."

But they keep our taxes reasonable when communities without these ratables are getting crushed."

"What happens when we're no longer adding ratables, but adding families?"

But there's also much to be said for creating jobs, and certainly we can use ratables to ease the tax burden."

"Wal-Mart is going to have the most luck in towns that are desperately seeking ratables."

"And I think we should at least think about a statewide property tax to end the ratables chase."

At issue is the so-called ratables chase, which encourages local officials to seek new development as a way to hold down property tax rates.