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While the TV ads have focused on mammograms, spoofs of the Free Credit Report songster, and even veiled shots at a candidate's physical appearance, many have accused New Jersey's gubernatorial candidates of avoiding the one issue that is on the minds of New Jersey voters above all: property taxes.

In response to this state-wide issue, the Gannett newspapers -- which include Ocean County's Asbury Park Press and Middlesex County's The Home News Tribune -- have created an interactive Web site that addresses the causes, effects, and possible solutions to address the state's property tax burden. That burden, which varies widely from town to town, is on average the highest in the nation: app.com/taxcrush.

"People were complaining more and more about property taxes," Paul D'Ambrosio, the investigations editor, told The Jewish State on the impetus behind the project. "What we tried to do was qualify and quantify the problem."

The first part of the online investigative series came out on Sept. 25, and for the subsequent week, the series focused on different components of the New Jersey tax structure.

Over the eight days, the series explored the consequences of the state's high property taxes, how the revenue generated from these taxes is used, and how to lower the tax burden for New Jersey residents.

In 2008, property taxes in New Jersey topped $23 billion and it is expected to reach $24 billion this year, according to the Asbury Park Press. This amount represents a 63 percent increase over the last eight years, which is more than twice the rate of inflation.

D'Ambrosio said that while property taxes are the "No. 1 issue" in the upcoming gubernatorial election on Oct. 3, candidates have largely ignored this issue.

The series highlighted five main ways "property taxes hurt you."

The first is that minority communities and poorer areas of the state are disproportionately affected. This is due to the fact that the state relies heavily on property taxes to fund educational and municipal services (such as schools and police departments). Middle- and lower-class residents pay a higher percentage of their income toward property taxes than do wealthier New Jerseyans.

The second is that people, and jobs, are leaving the state as a result of the high property taxes, according to the report.

IRS figures indicate that more than $9 billion in net income has left New Jersey in the past five yeas and, according to a U.S. Census report, more than 146,000 manufacturing have left the state since 2000.

The third is that the current tax structure and allocation of funds for education creates divisions between communities. Though the national average for state education funding is 53 percent, in New Jersey the average is only 40 percent and local school districts use property taxes to help make up the difference.

"New Jersey's heavy reliance on property taxes as the main source of education dollars creates extreme disparities in school funding that the state has repeatedly tried to address," write D'Ambrosio and staff writer Jean Mikle.

The fourth way that the tax structure "fails" New Jersey residents, according to the Asbury Park Press, is through the many layers of municipal government. New Jersey has 566 municipalities and 605 school districts. California, by comparison, has only 63 county school districts.

To pay for the many jobs associated with municipal government, the revenue derived from property taxes has increased at twice the rate of inflation.

The series focuses heavily on the salaries of municipal employees, which the Asbury Park Press argues contributes in part to the state's high property taxes.

According to the Asbury Park Press, of the $23 billion in revenue generated by property taxes in 2008 and the $17 billion from federal and state sources, approximately $18 billion was used for the salaries of municipal employees.

The report argues that these salaries are able to rise exponentially each year because the "fractured governmental system is little match against police and school unions."

In Monmouth and Ocean counties, for example, one out of every 11 municipal employee's salary was more than $100,000 last year, 68 were paid more than $150,000, and six were paid more than $200,000.

The fifth problem is the state's loophole that grants tax breaks for farmland and woods.

"One of the biggest loopholes in New Jersey's property tax system is the farmland and woodland assessments for which wealthy landholders and corporations can pay virtually no property taxes. That ultimately means homeowners pay more," D'Ambrosio and Mikle write.

Each day of the series included interactive features that allow readers to asses such factors as their town's property tax rate compared to other municipalities in the state or their property tax rate relative to other areas throughout the country.

In Edison, for example, the average home value in 2008 was $174,945 and the average property tax before a state tax rebate was $6,900. After the rebate, the average property tax for residents was $5,841. This amount represents a 39 percent increase since 2000. In Bridgewater, the property tax increased by 59 percent over the last eight years, even after the state tax rebate is factored in.

Another interactive tool allows readers to search by name or town the base salaries of public employees during the past year.

D'Ambrosio said that the series has received an "overwhelmingly positive response" from readers, with many calling the office to ask when the next installment would be up online.

Asked whether the investigative series will have an impact in the upcoming election, D'Ambrosio responded that he could not be sure, given the unpredictability of New Jersey voters.

"Will it resonate? Will it make an impact? You just don't know how it will turn out -- voters are fickle and it depends on who wins, who loses -- also on voter turnout," he said, adding: "I'm looking forward to Nov. 3."