54:1-85 Distribution of funds; definitions.

19. a. (1) (Deleted by amendment, P.L.2013, c.253)

(2) (Deleted by amendment, P.L.2013, c.253)

b. The "Highlands Municipal Property Tax Stabilization Fund" is established in the General Fund as a special nonlapsing fund for the purpose of providing State aid to qualified municipalities pursuant to this section. There shall be credited each State fiscal year from the "Highlands Protection Fund" created pursuant to section 21 of P.L.2004, c.120 (C.13:20-19) to the Highlands Municipal Property Tax Stabilization Fund such sums as shall be necessary to provide State aid to qualified municipalities pursuant to this section. Every qualified municipality shall be eligible for a distribution from the fund pursuant to the provisions of this section.

c. The assessor of every qualified municipality shall certify to the county tax board on a form to be prescribed by the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury, and on or before December 1 annually, a report of the assessed value of each parcel of vacant land in the base year and the change in the assessed value of each such parcel in the current tax year attributable to successful appeals of assessed values of vacant land to the county tax board pursuant to R.S.54:3-21 et seq. or attributable to a revaluation approved by the director and implemented or a reassessment approved by the county board of taxation. If a judgment or an appeal is overturned or modified, upon a final judgment an appropriate adjustment shall be made by the director in the payment of the entitlement due next following the judgment.

d. (1) Upon receipt of reports filed pursuant to subsection c. of this section, the county tax board shall compute and certify to the director on or before December 20 of each year, in such manner as to identify for each qualified municipality the aggregate decline, if any, in the true value of vacant land, comparing the current tax year to the base year. The aggregate changes so identified for each qualified municipality shall constitute its valuation base for purposes of this section.

(2) (Deleted by amendment, P.L.2013, c.253)

(3) (Deleted by amendment, P.L.2013, c.253)

e. The State Treasurer shall certify to each qualified municipality, on or before February 15, its property tax stabilization amount. A copy of the certified amounts shall be forwarded to the Director of the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs.

f. (1) The State Treasurer, upon warrant of the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting in the Department of the Treasury, shall pay to each qualified municipality its entitlement as State aid from the sums available in the "Highlands Municipal Property Tax Stabilization Fund" in two equal installments pursuant to a schedule prescribed by the Division of Local Government Services.

(2) If the amount available in the "Highlands Municipal Property Tax Stabilization Fund" in any year is insufficient to pay the full amount to which each qualified municipality is entitled pursuant to this section, the payments shall be made on a pro rata basis.

(3) Notwithstanding any provisions of this section to the contrary, in the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth years of the State aid program created by this section, a qualified municipality shall be entitled to receive, respectively, 90%, 70%, 50%, 30%, and 10% of the sum it otherwise would have been paid pursuant to this subsection, and thereafter the program shall expire.

g. Any municipality receiving a certification from the State Treasurer pursuant to subsection e. of this section shall anticipate such sums in its annual budget or any amendments or supplements thereto as a direct offset to the amount to be raised by taxation.

h. The Director of the Division of Taxation in reviewing the reports filed pursuant to subsection c. of this section may make such changes therein as the director deems necessary to ensure that the reports accurately reflect the change in the assessed value of vacant land.

i. The Director of the Division of Local Government Services shall make such changes in the budget of any qualified municipality to ensure that all sums received pursuant to this section are utilized as a direct offset to the amount to be raised by taxation and shall make such changes therein as the director deems necessary to ensure that the offset occurs.

j. Any sum received by a qualified municipality pursuant to this section shall not be considered as an exception or exemption under P.L.1976, c.68 (C.40A:4-45.1 et seq.).

k. Notwithstanding the provisions of the "Local Budget Law" (N.J.S.40A:4-1 et seq.), a qualified municipality which is due a property tax stabilization payment pursuant to this section may anticipate the amount of the entitlement in its annual budget for the year in which the payment is made.

l. The State Treasurer may deduct from the State aid a municipality would otherwise receive pursuant to this section an amount equivalent to that portion of any sums received by a municipality pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1999, c.225 (C.58:29-8) that the State Treasurer, in consultation with the Director of the Division of Local Government Services, determines to be duplicative of any State aid received pursuant to this section.

m. The Director of the Division of Taxation and the Director of the Division of Local Government Services shall each adopt, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), such rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this section.

n. As used in this section:

"Base year" means the calendar year 2003;

"Current tax year" means the most recent year for which a report is filed pursuant to subsection c. of this section;

"Highlands preservation area" means the preservation area of the Highlands Region designated by subsection b. of section 7 of P.L.2004, c.120 (C.13:20-7);

"Qualified municipality" means any municipality located wholly or partially in the Highlands preservation area, provided however, that after the adoption of the Highlands regional master plan by the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council pursuant to section 8 of P.L.2004, c.120 (C.13:20-8), qualified municipality shall mean only a municipality that has conformed its municipal master plan and development regulations to the Highlands regional master plan pursuant to section 14 of P.L.2004, c.120 (C.13:20-14);

"Tax rate" means that portion of the effective property tax rate for the current tax year which reflects local taxes to be raised for district school purposes and local municipal purposes, calculated by dividing the total of column 12, section C by net valuation on which county taxes are apportioned in column 11, both as reflected in the Abstract of Ratables for the current tax year, and expressed as a rate per $100 of true value;

"True value of vacant land" or "true value" means the aggregate assessed value of vacant land divided by the average ratio of assessed-to-true value of real property (commonly known as the equalization rate) promulgated by the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury and published in the table of equalized valuation; and

"Valuation base" means the change in the aggregate true value of vacant land directly attributable to the implementation of the "Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act," P.L.2004, c.120 (C.13:20-1 et al.) in a qualified municipality when comparing the current tax year to the base year.

o. This section shall expire July 1 next following one year after the date the last State aid payment is made to a qualified municipality in the tenth year as provided pursuant to paragraph (3) of subsection f. of this section.

L.2004, c.120, s.19; amended 2013, c.253, s.51.