TRENTON – Senator Byron M. Baer announced today that he was drafting legislation to create an Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) in Englewood and allow the revenue to go towards helping the school district with programs associated with desegregation.
“The courts have ruled that for Englewood to ensure a quality education for all students regardless of race, creed, or gender requires special funding,” said Senator Baer. “Local officials are not trying to avoid that responsibility, but the special needs of the Englewood school district require special attention.”
The legislation that Senator Baer is drafting would allow businesses to charge a 3% sales tax to go into an escrow account. Current sales tax for non UEZs are 6%. The funding then would be turned over to the Englewood school district to help them make the needed improvements without making cuts to schools that already fell below the States averages, noted Senator Baer.
“The legislation I am drafting would be a win-win situation for the area,” said Senator Baer. “The school district would be able to make improvements and the business community could benefit from additional business that comes from lowering sales taxes to 3%. Making Englewood an Urban Enterprise Zone is simply a good idea, but a better idea is to take the revenue from the 3% UEZ and put it towards the special costs of the school system.”