In light of these hard economic times, we've repeatedly called for the city to repeal or suspend its open space tax (see here and here). Unfortunately, the mayor and council have thus far opted to keep this tax in place, in full. In the face of persistently high municipal taxes, we hope they'll reconsider. They can now follow the lead of Morris County, Sussex County, and Middlesex County, all of which have seen fit to lower their open space taxes. On a municipal level, Watchung decided last month to suspend collection of its open space tax.

Another reason our city's leaders should revisit the open space tax: it's viewed as one of their own "sacred cows." As a councilwoman, Dawn Zimmer championed this tax. Her steadfast ally, Peter Cunningham, voted for it. We've reached a point, however, where cuts have to be made. It was recently announced that 18 of our city's finest will be laid off. For this, Mayor Zimmer has naturally come under severe criticism—much of it unfair. We've known for quite a while that our police force is in need of downsizing and restructuring. Indeed, we've previously criticized the mayor for not moving fast enough.

Mayor Zimmer is now (rightly) demanding that others make sacrifices in order to pare down municipal spending. The mayor and her allies should demonstrate their willingness to make sacrifices as well. They should now move to ax the open space tax—especially since everyone knows they really don't want to.