Out of the Top 20 NJ Cities with the Highest Taxes Gcity #17
The Elimination of Checks and Balances is Driving Gloucester City’s Tax Crisis
To the Editor of CNBNews:
For six consecutive years, Gloucester City has operated under a governance model that defies standard democratic practices and has severely damaged public transparency and fiscal responsibility. The quiet appointment of Police Chief Brian Morrell by Mayor Spencer to the dual role of Acting City Administrator creates an unsustainable consolidation of executive power. While local officials often hide behind the excuse of “cost savings” to justify combining top jobs, the data show a different reality. Under this dual stewardship, Gloucester City property taxes have climbed by an average of $1,000 plus annually, creating a financial emergency for working families.
The 20 New Jersey towns with the highest effective tax rates; Gloucester City #17
| # | Town | County | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salem City | Salem | 4.298% |
| 2 | Hi-nella Borough | Camden | 3.838% |
| 3 | Woodlynne Borough | Camden | 3.753% |
| 4 | Pennsville Township | Salem | 3.364% |
| 5 | Penns Grove Borough | Salem | 3.341% |
| 6 | Bridgeton City | Cumberland | 3.282% |
| 7 | Laurel Springs Borough | Camden | 3.272% |
| 8 | City of Orange Township | Essex | 3.183% |
| 9 | Trenton City | Mercer | 3.161% |
| 10 | Pleasantville City | Atlantic | 3.125% |
| 11 | Gibbsboro Borough | Camden | 3.107% |
| 12 | Oaklyn Borough | Camden | 3.107% |
| 13 | High Bridge Borough | Hunterdon | 3.076% |
| 14 | Merchantville Borough | Camden | 3.068% |
| 15 | Chesilhurst Borough | Camden | 3.026% |
| 16 | Woodbury Heights Borough | Gloucester | 3.009% |
| 17 | Gloucester City | Camden | 3.006% |
| 18 | Mount Ephraim Borough | Camden | 3.004% |
| 19 | Woodbury City | Gloucester | 2.997% |
| 20 | Magnolia Borough | Camden | 2.983% |
A core principle of effective municipal governance is the separation of powers. In a typical New Jersey town, the City Administrator serves as an objective, independent buffer. They scrutinize spending, manage personnel, and enforce strict accountability across all departments. The administrator must objectively weigh a multi-million-dollar public safety request against the urgent funding needs of public works, infrastructure, and parks. However, when the Police Chief is the City Administrator, this vital system of checks and balances completely vanishes. The individual tasked with commanding and expanding the law enforcement budget is the exact same person who signs off on it.
The consequences of this missing oversight are visible in the city’s $26 million annual budget. While a typical American municipality allocates between 15% and 29% of its operational funds to law enforcement, Gloucester City spends roughly 34.2% ($4.5 million) strictly on its police department. When you factor in fire services, a staggering 54.6% of the city’s entire operational budget goes toward public safety alone.
Compared to neighboring South Jersey towns of similar sizes, Gloucester City taxpayers are paying a massive premium for this unique arrangement:
- Gloucester City (~11,400 residents): Spends roughly $395 per capita on policing.
- Woodbury (~10,000 residents): Spends roughly $280 per capita on policing.
- Audubon (~8,700 residents): Spends roughly $241 per capita on policing.
Gloucester City residents pay up to $150 more per person for law enforcement than their immediate neighbors. Because public safety consumes such a massive portion of our tax dollars, any internal salary bumps, cost-of-living adjustments, or pension obligations heavily drive the town’s overall tax rate.
As spending has surged, basic public transparency has sharply declined. When this dual arrangement began six years ago, the city abruptly stopped its weekly crime reports, claiming officers were “too busy” to write them. In an era when modern law enforcement database systems can auto-generate a crime-trends summary with a single click, this excuse is unacceptable. Furthermore, the administration has consistently withheld standard operational information, including the active headcount of our taxpayer-funded police force.
A municipality cannot efficiently manage a $26 million budget and a 170-person workforce when the executive branch is structured to grade its own homework. It is time for the Mayor and Common Council to restore institutional oversight, modernize transparency, and separate law enforcement from the City Administrator’s office. Gloucester City taxpayers cannot afford another year of self-regulated spending.
Respectfully submitted,
Robert S. Bevan
Gloucester City Resident
Former Gloucester City Mayor
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