Jersey City resident blasts 15.5% tax hike, calls budget ‘irresponsible’

Yvonne Balcer did the math. It didn’t add up for her. Like a lot of Jersey City homeowners, she’s staring at a proposed city budget that would raise property taxes by 15.5 percent. Combine that with a 17 percent school tax hike and a 14 percent county increase, and she’s worried she might lose her home.

“If I don’t pay the 15.5 percent municipal increase, 17 percent school increase, and 14 percent county increase, my property, as well as my neighbors will be in tax lien this November,” Balcer wrote in a letter to the editor published by Hudson County View. The lien sale, she points out, would follow in December 2026.

Balcer’s letter has struck a nerve with homeowners across the city. It’s an emotional and detailed take-down of Mayor Steve Solomon’s first full budget, which the city council introduced last week with resolution 10.2. The total price tag? $886.5 million.

What’s in the budget

The numbers are stark. The proposed $886.5 million budget represents a $293 million increase over eight years. Balcer traces the spending back to 2018, when the budget was $593 million. That’s about a 49 percent jump in less than a decade.

Mayor Solomon took office last year, but Balcer notes he was a city council member for much of that time — along with current council members Ridley, Lavarro, and Gilmore. They all voted on the contracts and spending that led to this point, she argues. “Mayor Solomon played the same game as former Councilman Fulop, who ran for office and said he did not vote on budgets, but Solomon voted on the contracts that contributed to spending,” Balcer wrote.

Solomon has previously accused his predecessor, former Mayor Steven Fulop, of underfunding the budget. Balcer fires back: “Well, I am accusing Mayor Solomon of the same thing.”

Why your tax bill could go up

One of the most technical — and costly — parts of this budget is how the city handles tax appeals. Balcer points to a line item: the mayor’s budget sets aside just $6.24 million for tax appeals in 2025.

But here’s the problem. In the so-called “Friendly Budget” — which city officials sometimes present as a healthier, more realistic look at the city’s finances — the actual payouts for tax appeals in 2024 and 2025 were $34 million and $49 million respectively. Balcer says the budget is underfunding this line by tens of millions of dollars.

Why do these appeals happen? Under rent control, landlords can’t pass on a tax increase to their tenants. So when property taxes rise, landlords file appeals with the county tax court. And they almost always win. The city then has to issue refunds. Those refunds, Balcer explains, often come in the form of bonds — meaning the cost is spread out over years, but it’s still small homeowners who foot the bill through their own tax increases and debt payments.

“The small taxpayers are paying for these refunds, usually as bonds, in addition to their own tax increase,” she wrote.

The rent control divide

Balcer doesn’t mince words when it comes to rent control. She calls tenants under rent control “privileged people.” It’s a sharp term, but her point is about fairness. Rent control tenants don’t pay property taxes directly. Their landlords do. And when landlords can’t raise rents to cover the tax hike, they appeal — and the city pays.

“If a landlord raises his rents 15.5 percent under rent control, the city council would use public tax dollars to sue the landlord,” Balcer wrote. “Rent control and affordable housing tenants are exempt from this tax increase, but Mayor Solomon and the city council want more affordable housing for taxpayers to subsidize.”

That tension — between homeowners who feel squeezed and renters who fear displacement — is playing out in council chambers and kitchen tables across Jersey City.

What residents can do

The budget has been introduced, but it’s not final. The city council still has to vote on it. There will be public hearings — dates haven’t been set yet, but residents should watch the city’s website and meeting agendas.

If you’re a homeowner, you can also file your own tax appeal if you think your assessment is too high. It’s not a fix for the entire budget, but it’s one tool in the box. And if you’re a renter, you can still show up and speak. Your voice matters, too.

Balcer’s letter is a reminder that budgets aren’t just numbers on a page. They’re about who can stay in their home, who can afford to live in this city, and who gets left behind. The council has a choice. So do the people who elected them.