BOE Special Voting Meeting - March 15, 2017: The Budget

The last 10 days have been pretty hectic. I wanted to post this video from the March 17th, Middletown Board of Education meeting last week but wasn't able to get around to it. This meeting was important because the proposed budget for the upcoming 2017/2018 school year was presented to the board.

I watched just the first 20 minutes of the video and wanted to get back to it before posting. However, the Asbury Park Press published an article "Pension ruling blows hole in Middletown school budget", a few days ago and listed all the juicy details that I hadn't got around to viewing. The article was enlightening . If you haven't read it, I think you should. It's not good news for homeowners.

MIDDLETOWN - Annual school taxes for homeowners would jump by $217 on average under a new budget that was forced to account for a multimillion dollar mistake made by the school board 10 years ago.

For the first time, the school board is circumventing the 2 percent cap on property tax increases — nearly doubling it in fact — as the district attempts to move ahead with a $160 million spending plan that includes the equivalent of seven new full-time employees as well as $1.4 million for new turf field and track at High School South.

Also tucked into the budget is an unanticipated $763,000 payment for the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund. The money, which represents the first of five annual payments, is a longtime district fear that has now become reality....

Continue Reading

All I'll say at the moment is, I'm not happy. I think some of the frills need to be placed aside for the time being until the pension payments that the BOE has to repay are completed, then they can look at replacing the turf field and track at High School South, along with some of their other proposed capital projects.

A $217 tax increase, on average, for homeowners is a very tough nut to crack. I think this is going to be a big deal!  

3-30-13 Middletown Township Committee Meeting - FY 2015 Budget Intro

Middletown Township introduced its FY-2015 budget Monday afternoon with a brief presentation by CFO Colleen Lapp. The Committee also adopted a resolution to amend the lease agreement with Trinity Hall at the Croydon Hall property.

I haven't had time to watch all of the video as of yet, I intend to do so shorty. I also intend to post the documents from the meeting as an update as soon as they are available.



Here is a link to Middletown's press release announcing the budget introduction




 UPDATE  ************

Here are the links to the proposed FY 2015 Municipal Budget, Solid Waste Budget and the revised Trinity Hall lease agreement documents present at last night's township meeting:

https://archive.org/details/151292015MunicipalBudgetIntroduced

https://archive.org/details/151302015SolidWasteBudgetIntroduced

https://archive.org/details/15131TrinityHallLeaseAmendment

CURRIE REACTS TO NEGOTIATION ON ARBITRATION CAP BILL

(Trenton) -- In light of news that Gov. Chris Christie has agreed to negotiate with State Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto on a law that limits property tax increases by limiting raises to some police and firefighters, New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chairman John Currie issued the following statement:

"I am glad to hear that Governor Christie is taking a break from his my-way-or-the-highway approach. It is good that he's willing to negotiate with Speaker Prieto."

"Everyone wants lower property taxes, but there is no shame in allowing municipalities leeway and budgetary discretion after savings on health care costs and pensions are locked-in -- which is something Christie’s conditional veto of the arbitration cap bill denied."

"Unfortunately, when he was not getting what he wanted, Governor Christie started taking cheap shots at Speaker Prieto at a public forum, proving that bullying tactics are the only strategy he knows for exacting concessions on policy matters."

"I am hopeful that policy differences can be resolved and I suggest that in the future the governor adopt a more conciliatory approach before impulsively attacking members of the legislature."

Congressman Frank Pallone Calls on Republicans to Stop Efforts to Raise Taxes on the Middle Class

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 20, 2011

WASHINGTON D.C.—Today, Tuesday, December 20, 2011, Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ-06) stood with Members of the House Democratic Leadership at a press conference calling on Speaker John Boehner and House Republicans to vote for a Senate bill extending the current Payroll Tax cuts and Unemployment Insurance. Both the Payroll Tax cuts, instituted by President Obama in 2009, and Unemployment Insurance for Americans who are out of work to no fault of their own, are set to expire on December 31, 2011 if the House fails to take action.

Earlier in the day in a speech on the Floor of the House of Representatives Congressman Pallone stated that, “The consequence for the American people is that the economy is in a very perilous situation right now, if you take this tax cut and you don't extend it, then it's very possible people won't have money to spend, the economy won't grow, and this teetering economy could easily fall back into a recession again.”

“They are playing a dangerous game with the lives and livelihoods of all Americans, at a time when we can afford it the least,” said Pallone. Their agenda is clear; end tax breaks to working Americans and the middle class while cutting the lifeline for the unemployed at a time when they can afford it the least.”

If Congress fails to take action and allows the Payroll Tax cuts to expire, Americans can expect to pay an additional $1,500 per year in additional taxes and 2.2 out of work Americans will lose their Unemployment Insurance.

View Congressman Pallone’s full floor statement here.

Taxpayers First ??? Not in “Your Middletown”

by guest blogger Linda Baum

If you’ve been driving anywhere in Middletown, you can’t miss the big red and white signs that claim Mayor Fiore puts “taxpayers first”. That’s been the line for years now. That the Republican majority continues to use it shows their arrogance. Sadly, they have managed to keep so many of us in the dark.

I suppose they should feel confident. Remember last year when our Republican-controlled Town Committee left you with the impression that a 13.4% municipal tax increase was just 2.8%? They had at their disposal all sources of communication coming out of Town Hall – the town’s own newspaper, press releases, robocalls, and a tax information sheet all delivered straight to your home and paid for with your tax dollars. You were probably scratching your head back then. And I bet, like me, for a while you were uncertain of your own basic math skills. And that was the idea – not to inform, but to mislead. That is not how you serve taxpayers. What they did was deliberate and dishonest, and completely self-serving.

The Republican party’s control over information in Middletown has gone on for years. If you have ever asked a question at a Town Committee meeting, you may have experienced that first hand, and it has never been more true than it is now that an all-Republican committee sits on the dais.

Residents have just two opportunities each month – the first and third Monday -- to connect with our representatives, but they don’t seem to want to talk to us. If you’ve been brave enough to stand at the microphone and ask nearly anything, you’ve most likely been made to feel like an annoyance. You’ve got just five minutes – that’s the rule. Use it or lose it, and no second chances after you sit down. If you aren’t satisfied with the answer you get, they may invite you to stay after the meeting when no one else is there to hear them. Or you can always try again at the next town meeting, if you don’t mind being scolded for being repetitive. I was, and my question went unanswered to boot.

It would be downright comical if it weren’t true. If you don’t believe me, then grab your popcorn and come down to Town Hall. You’ll have to catch the live show because town meetings aren’t televised in Middletown like they are in so many other towns. That’s for lack of funds, supposedly, but let’s see what the story is in 2014 when $200,000 in grant money becomes available from Comcast specifically for that purpose. What excuse will our Republican majority give then for continuing to keep us in the dark?

You won’t find much information about what was discussed at meetings in the Town’s meeting minutes, either. If you really want to know what happened, read “It’s Your Town Hall”, newsletter that are written by town resident Don Watson, who took it upon himself to attend town meetings and to keep others informed about what’s going on. If you want to be included in his distribution, send an email to Itsourtown@yahoo.com.

If taxpayers were really first, governmental proceedings would be accessible to all residents no matter what their schedule or ability to attend meetings, including those who are disabled or have limited mobility. And by the way, those folks are still waiting for the Township to fully comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act. Money is lacking, town officials say, among other reasons given for delays. However, since that law was enacted, our republican-controlled town committee has poured money into a host of costly unnecessary projects when better less-costly alternatives existed – the Pool Club and Arts Center are examples. Taxpayers are not only paying the debt for these purchases, but hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual upkeep as well.

And did you know that the town’s appointed engineer – the same firm now for 40 years –pockets about $1 million dollars a year in taxpayer funds awarded to them as no-bid contracts? Think how much tax relief could have been provided by putting those engineering contracts out to competitive bid. That’s money that could have been returned to you or used for other purposes. If taxpayers were really first, our republican majority would have done just that. Instead, members of that same engineering firm can be seen celebrating with republican candidates every year on election night. If it sounds like pay to play, that’s because it is. And you’re paying for it.

Somebody is first in Middletown, but not taxpayers. Not in a very long time. On November 8th, you can change that.

Ringing Controversy; Concerned Citizens of Middletown Robocalls Strike A Nerve

It seems that the latest round of Robocalls that went out yesterday afternoon by the group calling themselves "Concerned Residents of Middletown" have struck a nerve with some sitting on the Township Committee who say that the calls don't ring true.

In a column published this morning over at Redbankgreen.com, Middletown Mayor Tony Fiore and his Deputy Mayor Pam Brightbill question the legitimacy of the group Concerned Residents of Middletown and it's message.

“It appears to be just another desperate attempt by the Middletown Democrats to spread misinformation to the taxpayers,” Fiore is quoted as saying in reference to who he thinks is behind the calls. He adds “the real truth will come out. The information they’re pointing out is just not accurate,” when referencing that the Townships budget will be introduced next week.

As if that has any real barring on the truthfulness of the messages contained in the robocalls. Remember last year how Mayor Scharfenberger and those sitting on the Committee, other than Democrat Sean Byrnes, insisted that the Township tax increase was only 2.8% when the proposed budget for 2010 was introduced in last June, when in actuality the municipal tax rate increased by 13.9%.

I think the people lacking credibility on budget issues are those that sit on the Township Committee. The real truth behind the budget numbers and any proposed tax increase which will be presented next Monday night, wont really be known until revised tax bills are sent out to residents, after the budget is adopted later in the year, just as it was last year. When residents looked at their tax statements expecting to see only an increase of 2.8% in the municipal rate, they were stunned by the difference.

Before passing judgment on these robocalls, it is important to see if the message included in them pan out as describe. Only then can we tell who was spreading false information to residents.

Contrasting Styles Between Cuomo & Christie; Different Approach, Same Outcome No Animosity

NJ.com yesterday had an interesting editorial that I think a lot of people should be reading.

In the face of an $11 billion dollar budget defect, NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo balanced NY's budget by cutting spending and entitlement without raising taxes just as our governor did last year (although that is somewhat debatable). Cuomo achieved this by reaching out to legislator and including them in the process. Gov. Christie on the other hand, has created divisiveness between the governor's office and those in the legislature with his take it or leave it approach and sledgehammer style.

Interestingly Cuomo was able to balance his State's budget without demonizing any one group (public employees) or had to hold nonstop "Town Hall" meetings to convince people that there is a problem and his way of solving it, is the only way that it can be done.

Resident of NJ should take notice and see how a different, less caustic and abrasive style can achieve similar yet far different results.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo just won agreement on a budget for New York state that cuts overall spending and contains no new taxes. He even blocked an attempt by fellow Democrats to extend a surtax on millionaires.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because New Jersey did all that last year. Perhaps Cuomo looked across the Hudson and liked what he saw.

Now maybe Gov. Chris Christie can return the compliment. Because Cuomo has something to teach him as well.

Note the lack of personal attacks in Albany. Cuomo was tough, but he wasn’t abusive. He didn’t call his Assembly speaker a liar, for example, or clear his schedule for a nonstop tour on the unlimited greed of teachers and cops.

And he negotiated. Especially relevant to New Jersey was Cuomo’s approach to Medicaid.

Like most states, New York and New Jersey are facing daunting increases in health care costs. Cuomo’s approach was collaborative.

He invited key stakeholders, including hospitals and unions, to sit together and hammer out an agreement on cuts. If they couldn’t come up with an answer, he said, then he would do it for them.

After two months, Cuomo’s committee pulled it off, agreeing to 79 cost-cutting measures, from lowering reimbursements to shifting patients to managed care plans.

Christie wants to cut $540 million in Medicaid spending next year, a huge sum that both sides expect to be a main point of contention. But he’s drawn up his plan in secret, and even now is keeping the Legislature out of the loop. People such as Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex), a key architect of the current system, are still looking for basic answers.

“They are crafting their own proposal in a vacuum,” Vitale says. “They would be wise to include legislators.”

Cuomo’s collaboration ensured that his plan had broad political support, and would pass. Christie’s approach risks just the opposite.

In The Face Of Tax Increases And Layoffs Middletown's Mayor Fiore Justifies $20K In Bonuses to Tax Assessors

It never seizes to amaze me what the news media considers news when it involves Middletown. Case in point; Monday night was Middletown's monthly Township Committee meeting and the only news coming from the Asbury Park Press, Redbankgreen.com and Middletown Patch about the meeting was that Middletown will be sticking to it's intention of not exceeding Governor Christie mandated 2% cap on budgets, which is nothing new and has already been reported on numerous times, and that the budget will be introduced on April 4th, which I mentioned over the weekend.

What should have been reported as news by these three is the fact that in the face of a tax increase, employee layoffs and other potential service cuts, Tax Assessor Charles Heck and his assistant will be receiving bonuses worth $20,000 ($15K for Heck, $5K for his assistant).

Mayor Fiore justifies these bonuses because Charles Heck supposedly saved the Township $50,000 while negotiating the price of the recent Township wide reassessment with Reality Appraisal (a former employer of Heck's) and worked many long hours helping prepare paper work for Reality Appraisal leading up to the reassessment.

When you factor in that Heck is will be receiving a statutory 2.5% raise to his $108,500 salary along with the $15,000 in bonus money, he will be receiving quite a windfall from the Township this year when other will be losing their jobs.

In the audio clip below you can hear Fiore at his best "fibbing" about why the Township Committee is giving Heck his bonus and about how last year, the entire Township Committee was in agreement about providing Heck and his assistant this windfall.

The thing is though, that when I spoke to former Township Committee Sean Byrnes about this he said that he had no recollection of a discussion taking place about Heck saving the Township $50,000. He stated that they wanted to pay him more because of all the tax appeals he had been working on, and that they subsequently approved the $400,000 price tag for reassessment by Reality Appraisal and that they (the Committee) must have worked this deal out later without him. He stated, as I had posted earlier, that last year when he was a Committeeman the Committee attempted to pass a similar resolution to reward Heck but t was dropped when he opposed it.

Fiore really needs to think about this before he opens his mouth again on this subject, I really can't understand how he or anyone else can justify this when other peoples livelihoods are at stake. How can he look those, about to lose their jobs in the eye and tell them that someone will be receiving a bonus at their expense? If I were in contract negotiating with the Township right now, I wouldn't cave in and give anything back when something as blatant as this is being waved in my face. I'd play hardball until the end.

It doesn't make sense to spend $20,000 to save $30,000 when you expect a person to do a job that he is well compensated for already. Middletown tax payers should be benefiting by having the complete $50,000 put towards tax relief, after all it is their money more so than Heck's.

On a side note, I hope those on the Library Board are paying attention to this. This is a perfect example of what others tried to warn them about before they voted to hand over $500,000 of reserved funds to the Township. The Township Committee can not be trusted to spend OUR money wisely or prudently. It's OK to give a$15,000 bonus to an already highly compensated tax assessor but it is unconscionable give 1% raises to the lowest paid employees of the library, a raise that would average out to about $1 per week in their paychecks?

Shame on you Kevin Settembrino and the rest of you who sit on the Township Committee for allowing this to move forward.

An Eyewitness Account Of How The Middletown Library Board Gave In

By guest blogger Linda Baum

There were only about twenty attendees at Wednesday’s meeting of the Middletown Library Board, a fraction of the crowd that showed up last month. Aside from Committeeman Settembrino, who is on the Library Board, no one from the Township was there. And the mood was different. It was calm, and everyone was polite. I took that as a bad sign.

A handful of people spoke during the public portion at the start of the meeting.

One woman brought up Brian Nelson’s comment at the meeting last month that he had personally lobbied the NJ legislature for the new law that requires public libraries to give part of their surplus to towns. Brian Nelson is Town Attorney. The woman said she found it disturbing that he was being paid with tax dollars to do this. Mr. Settembrino responded that Mr. Nelson has other clients besides Middletown, but of course he failed to mention that many, if not most, of those clients are other towns and the county. So, essentially, Mr. Nelson was paid with tax dollars to do something that most taxpayers don’t support.

Jim Grenafege and I had a common message, that the Township has a history of mismanaging tax dollars, either ignoring problems or responding to slowly or inadequately. Add to that a history of nondisclosure and bad financial decisions – bad for the taxpayers, anyway -- and it’s no small wonder they are looking for rescue now. My take is that if the Township is looking for a handout, the Town Committee needs to show that they have prudently managed the funds already in their charge. There is much evidence to the contrary, and I will get into all of that another time.

Right off the bat, Board President Gabrielan made a motion to give the town $250,000, half the amount that administrators and attorneys had come up with. Only he and Board VP Milne voted yes on the motion, and it failed 5 to 2.

At least one Board member expressed concern that much time had already been spent on discussion by the administrators and attorneys, who were charged with arriving at a figure. Mr. Gabrielan pointed out that they were not also charged with voting for the Board. Mr. Gabrielan felt the negotiations did not accurately represent facts or address concerns, and said that information could be presented in any manner to achieve a desired result. And with that, the sentiment from the last meeting reared its head.

Other Board members seemed just to want to get this issue behind them and get on with other library business. The Board members felt the need to agree to an amount to the town’s liking in order to be insulated from such attacks for the remainder of 2011 and to protect the library from the threat of transfer to the county system, a threat Mr. Gabrielan noted was without merit.

“Tax relief” was a handy feel-good phrase. It had to be obvious to everyone just how little relief the money would provide. I suspect the Board had an eye to how they would be painted in the press. In fact – if I heard right -- a joint press release was part of the negotiated agreement.

There was also considerable concern about the town’s plan to handle the parking lot expansion on behalf of the library as part of the giveback, while still expecting the library to pay the debt service on a bond for the work. The issue, of course, was that the library should not have to pay anything after the giveback, which includes funds that were earmarked for the construction. I am not sure how this was resolved. I think the town backed down, and in the end it was agreed that after the giveback, the library would owe nothing more to the town for the lot construction.

After all was said and done, the Board voted to give just short of $500,000 to the town.

I stayed until the end, just me and two members of the press. There was a second public comment period at that time. I was the lone speaker. I felt the need to point out that the lot construction arrangement was not a good thing for taxpayers because the town would be using the library’s money for some other purpose and then bonding for the construction. That will burden taxpayers with additional unnecessary debt that we would not have had if the library handled the work itself. And it will be yet another reason why the town will be back before the Library Board next year and the year after crying for more money.

Wow Big News; Monmouth County Freeholders Reduce Proposed 2011 Budget by $3.7M

Hey have you heard, the Monmouth County Freeholders have produced a new proposed budget for fiscal year 2011 that has reduced the previously proposed budget by $3.7 million?

I guess we're all suppose to be happy with this latest budget proposal because it reflects a decrease of $1.1 million from last year's adopted county budget.

That would be big new to me if the amount to be raised by taxes wasn't increased by $6.8 million (or 2.26%) to fund the nearly 1/2 billion dollar budget.

I find it very hard to believe that out of a proposed budget of $492 million, the Freeholders can only find cuts that amount to less than 1% of this budget.

If you ask me, if the members of the Monmouth County Freeholder's Board can point fingers at those who run Brookdale Community College to ferret out wasteful spending after the Burnham debacle, then they should be able to find wasteful spending with in their own departments that would lead to less spending and lower amount of tax dollars needed to be raised through taxation.

I wonder if the Bayshore or other Monmouth County Tea Party organizations have an opinion of their own on this?

I'm just saying....

Potential New Plan For The Dredging Of Shadow Lake Would Include the Army Corp of Engineers

In this video, Middletown resident Marilyn Michaels, presents information to the Middletown Township Committee about the new township tax rate and the potential use of the Army Corp of Engineers to develop a plan for the dredging of Shadow Lake that would include ideas to get rid of the arsenic laced dredged spoils from the bottom of the lake that would minimally impact to the surrounding area and be more cost efficient than potential plans now being discussed and considered by the major of the Township Committee at the recent Oct.17,2010 Township Committee meeting.

Marilyn Michaels lives on the edge of Shadow Lake and has recently been a leading voice behind its preservation and restoration.

Letter: What Planet Do They Live On ?

Here is the first offical post that makes it up onto the blog after my return. It is a letter from Barbara Thorpe who asked the question "what planet do they live on? ", which references a letter written by Tristan Nelsen, the failed former running mate of Gerry Scharfenberger, from his last re-election bid.

It should be pointed out that Tristan owes much to the local GOP establishment, she sits on many boards and commissions in Middletown and is herself part of the problem. Anyone that can justify an increase of 45% to the local municipal tax rate over the past 5 years, must be living on another planet, that goes for Ms. Nelsen as well as all the other supporters of the Middletown GOP, who burry their heads in the sand and refuse to see the truth:

I read with a sense of disgust the repeated letters supporting the mayor of Middletown by his party's faithful cronies. The most recent one from the failed candidate who ran with Scharfenberger three years ago. Can't imagine what planet she has inhabited in recent years because there is no denying the mismanagement of this township. The near forty five percent increase in the municipal tax levy in the last five years tells the whole story. No denying those figures ....no way at all.

The repeated lies and deception that this man engages in is beyond comprehension except it is explained by this man's obsessive desire for re-election. He will do or say anything to achieve that goal. To hell with the people paying the bills in this township. He could not care less. He cannot be trusted to serve the people of Middletown. Far too engrossed in party politics !

It will take legislative action to ever remove supporting the schools from the property tax bill in New Jersey and to find a secure funding for the most important job the citizens of this community and this state have to do... the education of our youth. To think otherwise is delusional and selfish. It is incomprehensible to try and understand just when Mr.Scharfenberger thinks he could ever accomplish such a change in school funding without some extensive legal support for that kind of a change. But I guess I just forget that this man has never shown any regard for the rights of the people or respect for what is and is not legal. He never has had any reservation about what or who he tramples on to serve his own agenda.

COAH is the law in New Jersey. It has recently been reaffirmed and this state has been given five months to get back on track providing affordable housing. Only Sunday the Asbury Park Press printed an article regarding this very information There may be changes to COAH but it is not going away. Again this mayor is blowing in the wind !! Get real for a change !

The disregard for the residents of this community can be seen in the proposals for turf fields in locations nobody wants and at a time when we cannot afford them. Just grandstanding in hope of deceiving the people about his motives.He needs something to try and look good for re-election. Fix the problems of the flooding in the Bayshore that have been neglected for more than twenty years. The sneaky, underhanded actions and the neglect that has surrounded those efforts tells it all !

Try an honest effort to contain expenses and make the hard decisions to reduce the workforce,reduce bond expenses,and institute the necessary measures to properly plan municipal financial obligations. Can't blame all the problems here on someone else so stop trying . Whatever plans this mayor claimed he had have never materialized . He never had any plan and the result is the exorbitant municipal tax increase this year.

Middletown will be a better community to live in when this man is gone from government here.

Barbara R. Thorpe
Middletown, NJ

Letter: Fed Up With "Tax Man" Scharfenberger

I'm fed up in Middletown. How much more does the Township Committee majority think we homeowners can take?

Mayor Gerard P. Scharfenberger, the "tax man," went to Trenton to get dispensation for his unconscionable increase in taxes.

The state has a 4 percent cap on tax increases, but thanks to his connections in Trenton, he was allowed to increase them more than 12 percent.

Scharfenberger would like us to believe the increase is only 2.8 percent. This is a smokescreen that lets him hide behind the actual increase. Don't be fooled.
It's time to retire the tax man with your vote for Sean Byrnes and Mary Mahoney, who better understand the pressures on Middletown homeowners.

Byrnes is the only serious financial voice on the Township Committee. He voted down this unprecedented increase in taxes because he felt the township could have done a better job in planning this year's budget.

Marilyn Tuohy
MIDDLETOWN

Letter: Scharfenberger Is A Master Of Deception

Mayor Scharfenberger is a master! He is a master of deception. He would have Middletown taxpayers believe that he has managed Middletown so well that he has only increased our taxes by 2.8 percent. If that were the case he would not have had to go to Trenton to answer to higher authorities when he surpassed the state cap on municipal budgets. Trenton placed a four percent cap on increases and Mayor Scharfenberger's proposed budget was almost 14 percent. Does he really think we are so blind that we don't know this? The final increase in the tax rate has gone from $0.35 to $0.3975 per $100 of assessed value. This is an increase of over 13 percent for the homeowner.

Mayor Scharfenberger's deceptive tactics must end along with his tenure in office this year. Current Committeeman Sean Byrnes and his running mate Mary Mahoney stand for managing costs with tight controls on spending. They stand for improved planning that can reduce tax increases. They stand for cutting waste and inefficiency from township operations. They stand with homeowners, not supporting special interests. They stand with you and you should join me in supporting them.

Dora Crisafulli
Middletown

Video: Sean Byrnes on Planning for Budgets and Projects

Middletown Township Committeeman Sean Byrnes discusses the Planning (or lack thereof) of Township budgets and projects that drive up the tax rate and cost local tax payers, at a Town Hall Meeting which took place at Panera Bread on September 27,2010

Letter: Foresight could keep tax increases under control

The following letter appears in this weeks edition of the Independent:


As township officials try to explain the reason for the latest round of tax increases, they refer to a few factors, one of which is the cost of snow removal during the winter of 2010. This explanation is disappointing and frustrating on several levels. The main responsibility of our budget planning committee is to have the foresight to plan for expenses that we know are going to vary from season to season. This means calculating an average budget target for yearly snow removal, which shields us from major shortfalls during the high swings. So, if snowfall in 2009 was light, and we hadn’t fully used the budgeted money for that line item, we could roll it over to 2010 and have some fiscal cushion when snowfall is heavier. Are we to assume if the winter of 2011 is mild, we’ll have a budget surplus and tax rates will decrease? I doubt it. Are we to assume that our budget planners simply approach snow removal in singleyear increments, rather than looking at well-known trends, and then hope for mild winters? It sounds like they do. While I can understand the reduction in state aid as a factor in the budget shortfall, I simply can’t buy into the rationale that property taxes are increasing 13 percent partly because we had a bad winter in 2010.

Township officials need to understand that the residents of Middletown are fearful about these soaring tax rates on two fronts. In the short term we’re wondering how much longer we can afford to live in a town where our monthly spending in property taxes is larger than our mortgage payments. That fact alone is stunning.

In the long term we’re wondering how we’ll ever find buyers for our homes that come with such staggering property tax rates. One of many things needed to get this mess under control is proper planning. I question how well that planning process is being executed when heavier than usual snowfall is cited in the list of factors for a double-digit tax increase.

Tim Geiselman

Middletown

Video: Sean Byrnes Talks About Recent Tax increase

Middletown Township Committeeman Sean Byrnes addresses the municipal tax rate increase in front of attendees at the Byrnes & Mahoney Town Hall Meeting held on September 27,2010 at Panera Bread in Middletown.

Included in this video is a ten year Tax Chart that shows the history of tax increases by the Township Committee. The chart shows that during Gerry Scharfenberger's on the Township Committee (3 as mayor, 2 as deputy mayor) the municipal tax rate has risen by over 41%.

Sean Byrnes states that this year's increase was larger than the school system's and County combined.

Saturday Morning Cartoons: In honor of the "Taxman" Himself Gerry Scharfenberger; The Beatles's "Taxman"

It's Saturday once more, time for a cartoon.

While the Beatles might have dreamt they were back in the time of Merry Olde England, and tried to pay Ringo's whopping tax bill with the aid of Robin Hood and Little John, Middletown residents aren't so lucky.

Middletown has its own "Taxman" in Gerry Scharfenberger, who has risen the local tax rate by more than 39% over the past 5 years and if you don't pay up your home may be taken.

Instead of my usual bowl of Cheerios, I think I need some Pepto Bismal.

Smoke and Mirrors: Scharfenberger To Pledge Support For Property Reassessments To Deflect Anger Away From 12% Tax Incease

Can you believe this one? In a soon to be released press statement, Middletown's acting mayor Gerry Scharfenberger, will announce his plan to support a town wide property tax reassessment.

It seems that Scharfy and crew have decided that they can't wait for their usual October surprise. The need to turn the tide on their ill-conceived budget, that has risen the local tax rate by 12% and angered a large majority of residents, has them running scared and desperate for votes.

How much do you think a new Town wide property reassessment will cost, especially after the botched revaluations cost the Township a couple of $ million to complete in the first place?

And really, does Scharfenberger and his buddies think that a reassessment will have a positive effect on the average homeowner? Middletown still needs to collect $45 million worth of taxes from residents to support the budget. The reassessment may lower the overall assessed value of ones home and make it seem as though the average homeowner will get a break, but in actuality the assessed tax rate will climb to offset the decrease in revenues from the lower home assessments.

The assessed tax rate now stands at $0.3975 per $100 of assessed value. That rate will increase as home values are reassessed lower by the township, it will have the same effect on both the School and County portions of the tax bills as well.

Essentially therefore Scharfenberger's plan is nothing more than a smoke and mirror parlor trick or a game of Three Card Monty, to divert voters anger away from the 12% municipal tax rate increase.

I'll post the press release as soon as it is available.

While I'm At It, Here's Another Letter From the APP: Who can afford to live in Middletown?

Since I seem to be reprinting letters to the editor, I might as well add one more.

This letter was written by Bonnie Lynn Isaksen and was printed in Monday's on-line addition of the Asbury Park Press.

I find it interesting because there seems to be a growing frustration building up in residents over their local tax bills.

For those paying attention, Middletown adopted it's 2010 budget which included a 12% municipal tax increase on September 7th. The municipal portion of the property tax bill that residents need to fork over to Town Hall has risen from $0.35 to $0.3975 per $100 assessed value:

It's a nightmare. Middletown taxes have gone higher, there are no homestead rebates this year and no tax credits until next year.

People will be moving out of Middletown. Who can afford to live there anymore? With the new budget 4.5 percent higher than last year, this puts a strain on all its residents. Expecting more foreclosures in Middletown? You bet.

Middletown should send out "pack your bags and get out" notices along with the new, higher tax bills.

Bonnie Lynn Isaksen

MIDDLETOWN