NJ Taxpayers Get More Bad Super-Storm Sandy News [AUDIO]

Just when you thought things couldn't get worse as a result of super-storm Sandy comes word from the top that your property taxes are probably going to go up.

There are exemptions that allow towns to go over the 2% cap on property tax increases and one of them applies to Sandy, says Governor Chris Christie.

There are four exemptions for the cap says Christie, "There's pension, health, debt and declared emergencies so this fits in the fourth one. If there are expenses which they (municipalities) incur to get their town back on their feet, that is up, over and above the cap because this is a declared emergency not only by me, but by the President of the United States so in this instance those costs that are directly related to it are not subject to the cap."

The obvious question is; what does this mean for New Jerseyans?

Christie answers, "It tells taxpayers in towns that were destroyed that they're probably going to have higher taxes. It's gotta be paid for…..There's no magic money tree, but I think that most people in these towns will recognize that if they believe that the money is being spent reasonably and responsibly to re-build their towns they'll be happy to do it."

Christie knows nobody is happy with higher taxes, but he thinks people will understand that recovery and rebuilding come with a price tag. He says these are extraordinary circumstances and one of the things considered before the cap was enacted was leaving an exemption for declared emergencies because, "those are acts of God that we have no way of controlling."

The Governor does have a warning for local officials. He says, "What I will tell folks is, I'm not going to allow them to use this as an opportunity to shoehorn other stuff in there and we'll be watching closely and carefully…..We will police the cap."