Rumson, Fair Haven Tax Bills: How Do They Compare with Others in NJ?

A tax bill that's much higher than the state average is no secret to a Rumson or Fair Haven resident.

But just how much higher are those bills compared to others across New Jersey?

With both municipalities' officials boasting holding the line on the municipal tax portion of the bill for the past few years, they still far outstrip the bill of the average taxpayer in New Jersey. Though Fair Haven's tax hike from 2011 to 2012 was lower than the state average.

The Star Ledger culled data from the 566 state municipalities' tax bills and offered an analysis on the total average bill of each town as compared to the average in the state. The figures reflect budgets after Gov. Chris Christie and the NJ State Legislature enacted a 2 percent cap on increases in municipal spending.

The Ledger noted that property taxes statewide rose 2.4 percent in 2011, the first year Christie’s 2 percent cap was in effect. But the trend of lower increases could be reversed because of Hurricane Sandy costs, according to the report.

Rumson turned out to be one of the most expensive places to live in the state with an average bill of $17,772 last year, including county, municipal and schools taxes. The average for the state was $7,870. The borough's total bill went up marginally from 2011, by 2.6 percent, compared to the state average of 1.7 percent.

Glen Ridge and Essex Fells, in Essex County, had bills that tallied in the $17,000s, only slightly lower than Rumson's. The only two towns with higher average bills were Monmouth County's Loch Arbor Village, with an average bill of $23,328, and Mountain Lakes, in Morris County, with an average bill of $18,501.

Fair Haven's taxes stayed a little more level than Rumson's, with a hike of 1.3 percent from 2011, less than the state average of 1.7 percent.

The average bill in Fair Haven for 2012 was less than Rumson's, at $12,943, but it was still nearly double the state average of $7,087.

The average schools tax bill for the state was $4,120. Rumson's schools bill more than doubled the average, at $9,983 and Fair Haven's was roughly double the average, at $8,350.

There are three school districts between the two towns: Rumson, Fair Haven and Rumson-Fair Haven Regional.