AF-NE Members Lead Charge Against Taxpayer Handouts In New Jersey

On December 19th, over 200 angry residents in Parsippany, NJ crowded a full-capacity council chamber where the meeting had to be suspended due to an overflow in the council chambers. The meeting was postponed until December 28 at the PAL building, 33 Baldwin Road, Parsippany at 7:00 pm.

The outrage is in response to three Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) programs, also known as municipal tax abatements, that will increase local taxes in Parsippany and thus result in a loss of funding for the public school system. The PILOT projects are set to be at 2 and 3 Campus Drive, where affordable housing units are set to be built where there are currently empty office spaces. And the PILOT will also affect 249 Pomeroy Road where another empty office building sits.

Although there wasn’t unanimous public support for the PILOT programs, the PILOT programs still initially passed the Council 4-1 on November 9th. Council Members Loretta Gragnani (Council President), Michael DePierro, Paul Carifi, Jr., and Frank Neglia all voted in favor of the programs. The lone Councilman who voted against the PILOT programs is AF Member Justin Musella who was first elected to the Council in 2021. He was previously the Chair of the Morris County Young Republicans.

Musella was honored for his heroic move by the America’s Future Northeast Hub at their recent Christmas party, “All NJ Wants for Christmas is Freedom” at the Village Restaurant in Morris Plains. And this AF gathering helped to further fuel the community into staying vigilant and informed. 

“These developers receive the most generous possible terms imaginable,” Musella said. “Thirty years and a land tax credit—what does a land tax credit mean? That means, on the land that they own, separate from the improvements of the land, you are rebating them for the taxes that they pay to the municipality.”. 

The Parsippany School Board released a statement expressing their displeasure with the PILOT programs and calling on members of the public to attend the next Council meeting to express their concerns. 

On December 5th, Parsippany Mayor James Barberio attacked the school board. Saying the comments made by the school board were “irresponsible and incorrect.” Both Musella and the school board have made statements reaffirming how they are against the PILOT programs. “It is imperative that all those interested in the well-being of our school district also attend the Town Planning Board meetings as there are more PILOT agreements in development,” said the school board in a second statement. Barberio and the majority of the Council argue the PILOT programs will build revenue by filling vacant office spaces.

Musella agreed with the school board during the recent Council meeting. Musella stated, “Don’t kid yourselves; school-aged children will come from this building. How do we know that? The nearest comparable Avalon Bay is in Boonton, and that is a 350-unit building, and there’s about 40 school-aged children coming from that one. This one that was approved is 430 units, so there are going to be school-aged children coming from this building.” What Musella is referencing here is comparing the Boonton PILOT program to the one in Parsippany.

Recently, Musella held a town hall meeting at the Parsippany Public Library that included Will Fenwick, Council President of Park Ridge, NJ, who has been dealing with PILOT programs in Park Ridge. Fenwick discussed that in Park Ridge there was not much opposition to the PILOT programs so the Council passed it. In addition, Park Ridge was promised to receive $700K for the programs, however, they only received $400K with a vacant parking lot instead—a huge waste of tax dollars.

Originally, Council President Gragnani said the meeting would be postponed until 1:00 pm on 12/28, but that move also caused an uproar. Thus, the postponed council meeting will be held on Thursday, December 28 at the PAL building, 33 Baldwin Road, Parsippany at 1:00 pm. I urge you all, if your schedule is free that night, to please attend. We need to make a statement that this type of government overreach will not be tolerated in Parsippany or anywhere in America. Please bring your family, friends, and their family and friends so Parsippany does not head in the wrong direction.

This article reflects the opinion of the writer and is not an organizational endorsement.