Industry News from New Jersey, New York and Texas
New Jersey
The Builders League of South Jersey has launched a campaign to educate its residents on smart growth issues and the area's rapidly rising home prices. 

The campaign tells consumers that it takes about 5 years for a builder to obtain the roughly 150 permits involving 5 levels of government that are required to build a new home in the state. This extensive permitting and time adds an extra $70,000 to the price of a home.

Hard-hitting ads and billboards focus on affordability, water issues and related moratoriums and encourage residents to be active in decisions that elected leaders make that affect housing affordability. 

Source: Builders League of South Jersey, Sept. 17, 2004

New York
Governor George Pataki recently vetoed S.7592, which would have expanded the definition of prevailing wage to include infrastructure on housing projects.

The New York State Builders Association's lobbyists fought hard against passage of this bill as it would have added to housing costs, exacerbating the availability of affordable housing in communities throughout the state.

The Governor, who vetoed similar legislation last year,  recognized that a bill of this nature would discourage improvements of public lands. 

Source: New York State Builders Association, Sept. 27, 2004

Texas
The Home Builders Association of Greater Austin is involved in a legal battle over a one-year building moratorium by the Village of Volente. The HBA claims the moratorium was imposed illegally and extended improperly and is asking simply for the moratorium to be lifted. The village says the moratorium is justified because it needs time to enact ordinances to protect its residents.

The village formed in February 2003, and the moratorium on commercial and residential development was enacted three months later. The HBA contends that the need for planning is not a legitimate reason to enact a moratorium.

Texas law allows municipalities to adopt a moratorium for several reasons, including a lack of essential public services like water, wastewater, police or fire.

Source: Austin Business Journal, Sept. 24, 2004

National
Think your share of state and local taxes is high? Be glad you're not a New Yorker — who, according to a recent study, paid $131 in state and local taxes for every $1000 of income in 2002. Tennessee residents paid the least in taxes: $84 for every $1000 of income.

The study was conducted by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, which gauged states' competitiveness using the most recent data available.

Adding fees to state and local taxes brought the average American's bill up to $151 per $1000 of income — down $6 since 1992.

Property taxes were highest in Maine, where residents paid nearly $55 for every $1000 of income, and lowest in Alabama, whose residents paid $13 for every $1000.

Source: Reuters, Sept. 9, 2004 [ return to top ]