Gerry "The Tax Man" Scharfenberger; Middletown's Tax Rate Up 41.9% Since Scharfenberger Elected In 2005

It is quite obvious that Gerry Scharfenberger has earned the title of "TAX MAN", the numbers don't lie.

Since Gerry Scharfenberger was first elected to the Middletown Township Committee in November of 2004, the municipal tax rate has skyrocketed upwards.

If the currently proposed Middletown Township budget for 2010 (this year), which contains a 13% tax increase, passes the muster of the Local Finance Board and is adopted as is, Middletown's municipal tax rate will have risen a stunning 41.9% since 2005, the year that our wonderful, appointed mayor, Gerry Scharfenberger was first sworn into office.

The chart below tells the tale:

(Click on chart to enlarge)

It seems that things were going "pretty good" before Scharfenberger came onto the Committee.

The numbers represented on the chart are real numbers that came from township documents, they are verifiable and can be found with little effort if Googled.

Looking at the chart it is very plain to see that every year the amount of revenue generated by property taxes continues to rise and suggests that the Township Committee clearly has no plan to generate revenue by any other means other than through local property taxes.

It is too bad that our appointed Zoning and Planning Boards continue to allow the rezoning of commercial properties to residential.

Relying on the homeowners to balance the Township budget is only going to drive those living on the edge of affordability out of town. It seems that the average Middletown homeowner will need to make more than the $108K per year, as stated in Money Magazine, to continue to afford to live in this "Top 100 Places To Live" town.

The sooner residents realize that these types of out of control tax rate increases are unaffordable and unsustainable, and are the result of lack of leadership by RINO Gerry Scharfenberger and his current GOP majority which includes Pam Brightbill, Tony Fiore and Steve Massell, the sooner they will see the Township budget begin to stabilize, spending reduced and tax rates decline.