BERKELEY – The Township Council passed a number of resolutions urging the state and federal governments to give more financial support to seniors.
Berkeley has a large population of seniors – especially in the 55+ communities but also in other areas of town like Bayville or Pinewald.
Mayor Carmen Amato spoke about Social Security increases – “or lack thereof” – during a recent meeting.
SSI is supposed to follow cost of living increases based on a formula called the consumer price index for wage earners. Amato listed increases in the SSI from 2014 to the present, which varied from zero percent to 2.8 percent. The average increase from 2014 to 2020 was 1.38 percent. The real cost of living in America has increased more than 1.38 percent.
“Social Security is not keeping up with the rate of inflation,” he said. “That’s not enough in this day and age.”
Fortunately, this year, the increase is 5.9 percent. However, the governing body wants to make sure that seniors can have a set increase every year, so that there’s no surprises. They crafted a resolution to send to Washington urging a standardized 4 percent increase every year – or a cost of living increase – whichever is greater.
In related news, Councilman James Byrnes spoke again about a school funding formula that he said would be more fair for suburban towns. If districts are given $15,000 per student, everyone is on the same page.
Currently, urban areas get significantly more funding than suburban or rural, as is evidenced by the governor’s recent budget proposal. The philosophy behind this is that kids growing up in cities have more challenges to overcome.
Senior Freeze
The Senior Freeze is a state program. You apply for the program and if you qualify, your taxes are “frozen” at the current rate. When your town’s taxes go up, you pay it, but then the state reimburses you the difference. In this way, your property taxes are essentially frozen at the same rate forever.
Applications and more information can be found here: state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/ptr/
Amato said he’d like to see some of the regulations on Senior Freeze lessened so that more seniors can take advantage of its benefits. Currently, there are 4,172 Berkeley residents who take advantage of this program.
For example, there’s a rule that you have to live in New Jersey for ten years, but he said five should be more appropriate. He’d also like to see a rule eliminated that you have to live in a town for three years.
A resolution was sent to Trenton from the Township Council asking for changes to be made.
