Budget Visualizer Tool

2023 Itemized Public Services Bill for an Average Household ($467K value)

2023 Itemized Public Services Bill for an Average Adult

2023 Itemized Public Services Bill Total

• What Is this?

o We’re excited to present our budget visualization tool! The tool illustrates how much an average resident paid in 2023 for government services in Jersey City. It shows in one place how much the Jersey City municipal government, the Jersey City Board of Education and the Hudson County government charged you for their services.

• Good for You. Why Should I Care?

Unlike most other budget presentations, ours:

o Shows all-in costs, which are harder to manipulate

o Is designed to be intuitive and customer-focused

o Makes apples-to-apples comparisons between governments possible

• This is especially exciting because it allows us to competitively compare the financial performance of different government entities!

• What’s Next?

We’ll continue to build on our work and add comparison points with other cities in Hudson County, so you can easily check how the governments that serve Jersey City compare to their peers. We’ll also add context to help you understand the reasons why some government bodies may believe they are compelled to make different spending decisions (ex: why different school districts have different teacher/student ratios) than others.

• FAQ

o Q: Why is this amount different from what’s on my property tax bill?

 A: Our tool shows all-in costs, so it includes inter-governmental transfers from the federal and state governments, which you paid but aren’t captured on your property tax bill. It also includes services funded by user fees (ex: utility bills). We think this is a more comprehensive assessment of the economic performance of a government than what governments typically show you.

o Q: But I’m a renter, what does this mean for me?

 A: You landlord raises your rent to pay taxes, so a portion of your rent funded these costs!

o Q: But aren’t some taxes paid by businesses? Whey are they rolled in?

 A: Because you indirectly pay them! When the owner of a commercial building pays tax, she raises commercial tenants’ rent. Those tenants (ex: your local coffee shop or dentist office) pass a portion of those costs on to you as increased costs.

o Q: About how much of this total was spent by each entity?

 Jersey City municipal government: 40%

 Jersey City schools: 50%

 Hudson County: 10%

Observations from the Data

• Most (51%) of your money paid for education services

• 75% of your money paid for education and public safety services

• People under 18 are the primary beneficiaries of public spending

• 90% of public services in Jersey City are free to users

• You spent about half as much on law enforcement as you did on national defense

• Special education cost you about as much as an Amazon Prime membership

• High-speed internet access cost you about as much as the social safety net

• You spent less on fire fighting services than you did on coffee