FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 9, 2026

ASBURY PARK, NJ — Mayoral candidate Dan Sciannameo is calling for an aggressive, comprehensive effort to address Asbury Park’s rising property taxes, saying the issue must be the top priority of the next mayor and City Council.

“Spiraling and skyrocketing taxes are making Asbury Park unaffordable,” Sciannameo said. “But we can’t just acknowledge the problem. We have to actually do something about it. Voters I am talking to are demanding action, and they are right. This has to be job number one for the incoming mayor and council. “Current local City leaders must be held accountable for the property tax burden foisted on homeowners and renters”, he said. My opponent has been on the Council for 13 years. I ask voters to look at their tax bills since then. City leaders saw it coming,  get worse and did nothing. This is failed leadership, plain and simple. We should not be rewarding this failure with a promotion,” asserts Sciannameo.

Sciannameo said the city must take a hard look at every component of the property tax burden, including municipal spending, the school budget, development policy, PILOT agreements, how development related infrastructure is financed, assessments and the state’s school funding formula.

ZERO-BASED BUDGETING AND GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY

While acknowledging that the municipal budget is not the largest component of a homeowner’s overall property tax bill, Sciannameo said there are still significant opportunities to reduce costs and improve fiscal responsibility.

He is calling for a zero-based budget review of municipal spending.

“Government shouldn’t simply roll last year’s expenditures into this year’s budget,” Sciannameo said. “Every major expenditure should be justified. We need to ask whether a program or expense is still necessary, whether it can be performed more efficiently, and whether it can be reduced or eliminated.”

Sciannameo also proposes examining opportunities for shared services with neighboring communities, which could reduce costs while maintaining services.

“We should determine where shared services make sense and whether we are taking full advantage of opportunities to work with neighboring communities,” he said.

The next administration should also examine whether technology can be used more effectively to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs.

AUDIT MUNICIPAL SPENDING

Sciannameo is also calling for greater transparency in municipal spending, including a line-by-line examination of major expenditures.

Areas for review would include:

• Professional consultants

• Contracts

• Legal expenses

• Overtime

• Debt service

• Engineering and outside professional services

• Other significant municipal expenditures

“Residents should be able to clearly see where their tax dollars are going,” Sciannameo said. “Transparency isn’t just about putting numbers on a website. It means asking hard questions about whether taxpayers are receiving value for what the city spends.”

FIND NEW REVENUE WITHOUT RAISING PROPERTY TAXES

Sciannameo said the city also needs to identify new sources of revenue that can reduce reliance on property taxes.

“We need to look at development fees and other potential sources of non-property-tax revenue,” he said. “We also need to understand exactly who is carrying the tax burden in Asbury Park.”

That analysis should include the city’s total assessed value by category, including residential and commercial properties, as well as different areas of the city.

“We need to understand how property assessments are affecting the distribution of the tax burden and whether our current tax structure is fair,” Sciannameo said.

DEVELOPMENT MUST BENEFIT TAXPAYERS

Sciannameo pointed to his previously announced economic development proposal, which calls for expanding commercial development beyond the waterfront, increasing ratables and evaluating development projects based on their actual fiscal benefit to the city.

“Right now, too often the developers are winning and the taxpayers are losing,” Sciannameo said. “We need to ask what every major project actually contributes after accounting for the cost of municipal services, infrastructure, schools and tax incentives.”

He has also called for greater scrutiny of PILOT agreements and the infrastructure costs associated with development.

MAKE SURE HOMEOWNERS RECEIVE EVERY AVAILABLE TAX BENEFIT

Sciannameo said the city should also do a better job of making residents aware of state programs that provide property tax relief.

“If there are programs available to help homeowners reduce their property tax burden, residents should know about them,” he said. “The city should make sure homeowners understand what programs are available, who qualifies and when and how to apply.”

THE SCHOOL TAX BURDEN CANNOT BE IGNORED

Sciannameo said the largest challenge facing Asbury Park taxpayers cannot be addressed solely through the municipal budget.

“The cost of our school system is a major driver of property taxes, and city leaders cannot simply sit back and say, ‘That’s the school board’s problem,’” Sciannameo said. “That’s not leadership.”

He said the mayor and City Council should proactively engage with the Asbury Park Board of Education to identify ways to reduce the burden on taxpayers while maintaining quality education.

Sciannameo also criticized the impact he believes PILOT agreements and the state’s school funding formula can have on taxpayers.

“We need to take a hard look at how PILOT properties contribute to municipal revenues while the school district may not receive the same benefit, and how that affects the overall tax burden on homeowners,” he said. “If the system is producing unintended consequences, we have an obligation to address them.”

Sciannameo said the city must also work more aggressively with Asbury Park’s state legislators to seek changes to the school funding formula if it disproportionately disadvantages communities such as Asbury Park.

“The mayor and council cannot sit on the sidelines and throw up their hands,” Sciannameo said. “Leadership means getting involved, asking questions, working with the school board and advocating in Trenton for changes when the system isn’t working for our residents.”

“WE HAVE TO ACT”

Sciannameo said controlling property taxes will require action on multiple fronts rather than a single solution.

“We cannot promise taxpayers that there is one magic answer,” he said. “But we can promise to look everywhere—to control municipal spending, increase transparency, find new revenue, grow the commercial tax base, scrutinize development incentives, work with the school district and fight for a fairer state funding formula.”

“Our residents are being squeezed,” Sciannameo said. “They need leaders who are willing to roll up their sleeves, examine every part of the equation and actually fight to make Asbury Park more affordable.”

Dan Sciannameo is a candidate for Mayor of Asbury Park.