Post by richardkelsey on Aug 12, 2006 14:05:42 GMT -5
This was published by the Park Press in some form. Here is how it was submitted.
Local Control, Out of Control
In the spring of 1986, at just nineteen years old, I ran for my local town Council in the Borough of Freehold. While I did not win that historic election, seven citizen servants, a mayor and six councilmen have served my hometown. Freehold, the county seat of Monmouth County is one of over 50 municipalities in the County of Monmouth. Monmouth County has well over 600,000 residents, and it boasts some very affluent communities. Indeed, Monmouth County is a wonderful county with numerous wonderful communities. Make it better.
It was not until I left New Jersey, however, that I found out what Monmouth County has in a greater abundance than I ever knew – government. Each municipality has its own government. Each has its own school system and school board. Each has its own police force – with a few exceptions. Of course, the County also has a county government, and it is not small either. There might be a shortage of affordable housing, but there is no shortage of government in Monmouth County, or all of New Jersey. Indeed, it amazes me that I almost became a part of that machine, but for the shortsightedness of a few hundred voters.
That is not to say government is bad or the enemy. No, we are the government, and smart government is the friend of its servant, the people. Indeed, in New Jersey, all that government is meant to give to the people the one thing for which many other conservatives and I always clamor – local control. Yes, the right to make decisions at a local level about our own lives and our own communities is precisely the cornerstone of our Republic. We do not want to be dictated to from afar – or do we?
I am not a resident of Freehold or even New Jersey anymore, so feel free to keep the system exactly as you have it. But I wonder, how would you like to have less government and dramatic savings in your tax bill? Now, I am not talking about "less government" in the traditional conservative sense. That is, I do not want to cut programs per se; I want to cut governments – lots of them. What if I told you that you could have better services and more programs at a lower cost? Heresy you say? Look again.
What if Monmouth County had one government? What if the County were split into districts and the County were run by nine or eleven full-time County Board members? Imagine the savings in duplication of services. You would not need 50 plus police chiefs or 50 plus city halls. Imagine the boon to taxpayers of selling and consolidating certain of those properties, while conserving others. What if the County had one school board, and one school system? Imagine the savings. Imagine the purchasing power of a school district comprised of hundreds of schools, rather than a dozen or less. That’s money saved that could be spent on actual education, or put back under your control and in your wallet.
I hear the naysayers already. What about local control? I ask, what local control have you now? State and federal mandates have long ago eaten away at any control you have in the most expensive and important areas; education, healthcare, fire and police. Next time you go through the charade of voting down a school budget, just to have it reinstated, let me know about your local control. Next time you are looking for innovative ways to use school space, but you are instead mandated to expand because New Jersey requires a certain per-student square footage, let me know about your local control. I am sorry my New Jersey friends, but you have all the expense and none of the control with your touted system of "local control." In fact, your duplication of governments and government services is out of control. There is a better way.
You want proof? Compare Monmouth County to Fairfax County, Virginia. Fairfax has almost one million residents. A County Board of Supervisors governs it in districts. There are eleven supervisors. The County has a few "cities," of which none are large, and service sharing plays an essential role. Did I mention that Fairfax has some of the best schools in the Country? In fact, it routinely scores many schools in the U.S. News and World report top 50 rankings of high schools. It has outstanding services and mass transportation. Did I mention that its tax rate is $1.17 per-hundred of assessed value? That is the total tax rate. That includes everything. What … you are paying more than that? How could that be with all that control you have?
Recently, my sister informed me that the schools’ tax rate in Freehold Borough was going to be over $1.10 per-hundred of assessed value. She also told me that the total tax rate was over $3.20 per-hundred in Freehold Borough. That’s frightening. I now live in a County neighboring Fairfax Virginia, Arlington. My total tax rate this year in Arlington is 97.5 cents per-hundred. We have better schools, better services, and better transportation than Fairfax does, and our services frankly outshine those of any Monmouth County municipality. Five elected officials run our County, in its entirety. (Well, they do have the help of a County manager – like the one all your municipalities have.) Ironically, "high" property taxes was an issue in the election in Arlington this year. I know, because I ran for office here this year. But for the shortsightedness of several thousand voters, I might have lowered that rate yet again.
Arlington County has 190,000 people being served by those five elected, part-time officials. We maintain control at the ballot box, but also through a vigorous system of community and civic associations. In addition, the County uses the wealth of its talented citizens to sit on scores of community advisory boards and commissions.
Now, I am not suggesting that you all move to Fairfax or Arlington County. Demand for our real estate here is hot enough, but if your tax rates are not close to ours, you might want to get "control" of the situation by streamlining all that government you have. Folks, at $3.00 per hundred of assessed value, we in Arlington County would want a Mayor to come into our homes, clean the dishes, and take out the trash – - but only after our County-provided teacher finished the individual home-schooling of our children.
Slay the beast; take control; dump the waste. There is a far better way to get "control" of your lives and your government. You need government. You just need less of it.
(BTW -- this was in January 2004. The tax rate in Arlington now is .87 cents per hundred -- for everything. Fairfax is hovering just around 1.00.)
Local Control, Out of Control
In the spring of 1986, at just nineteen years old, I ran for my local town Council in the Borough of Freehold. While I did not win that historic election, seven citizen servants, a mayor and six councilmen have served my hometown. Freehold, the county seat of Monmouth County is one of over 50 municipalities in the County of Monmouth. Monmouth County has well over 600,000 residents, and it boasts some very affluent communities. Indeed, Monmouth County is a wonderful county with numerous wonderful communities. Make it better.
It was not until I left New Jersey, however, that I found out what Monmouth County has in a greater abundance than I ever knew – government. Each municipality has its own government. Each has its own school system and school board. Each has its own police force – with a few exceptions. Of course, the County also has a county government, and it is not small either. There might be a shortage of affordable housing, but there is no shortage of government in Monmouth County, or all of New Jersey. Indeed, it amazes me that I almost became a part of that machine, but for the shortsightedness of a few hundred voters.
That is not to say government is bad or the enemy. No, we are the government, and smart government is the friend of its servant, the people. Indeed, in New Jersey, all that government is meant to give to the people the one thing for which many other conservatives and I always clamor – local control. Yes, the right to make decisions at a local level about our own lives and our own communities is precisely the cornerstone of our Republic. We do not want to be dictated to from afar – or do we?
I am not a resident of Freehold or even New Jersey anymore, so feel free to keep the system exactly as you have it. But I wonder, how would you like to have less government and dramatic savings in your tax bill? Now, I am not talking about "less government" in the traditional conservative sense. That is, I do not want to cut programs per se; I want to cut governments – lots of them. What if I told you that you could have better services and more programs at a lower cost? Heresy you say? Look again.
What if Monmouth County had one government? What if the County were split into districts and the County were run by nine or eleven full-time County Board members? Imagine the savings in duplication of services. You would not need 50 plus police chiefs or 50 plus city halls. Imagine the boon to taxpayers of selling and consolidating certain of those properties, while conserving others. What if the County had one school board, and one school system? Imagine the savings. Imagine the purchasing power of a school district comprised of hundreds of schools, rather than a dozen or less. That’s money saved that could be spent on actual education, or put back under your control and in your wallet.
I hear the naysayers already. What about local control? I ask, what local control have you now? State and federal mandates have long ago eaten away at any control you have in the most expensive and important areas; education, healthcare, fire and police. Next time you go through the charade of voting down a school budget, just to have it reinstated, let me know about your local control. Next time you are looking for innovative ways to use school space, but you are instead mandated to expand because New Jersey requires a certain per-student square footage, let me know about your local control. I am sorry my New Jersey friends, but you have all the expense and none of the control with your touted system of "local control." In fact, your duplication of governments and government services is out of control. There is a better way.
You want proof? Compare Monmouth County to Fairfax County, Virginia. Fairfax has almost one million residents. A County Board of Supervisors governs it in districts. There are eleven supervisors. The County has a few "cities," of which none are large, and service sharing plays an essential role. Did I mention that Fairfax has some of the best schools in the Country? In fact, it routinely scores many schools in the U.S. News and World report top 50 rankings of high schools. It has outstanding services and mass transportation. Did I mention that its tax rate is $1.17 per-hundred of assessed value? That is the total tax rate. That includes everything. What … you are paying more than that? How could that be with all that control you have?
Recently, my sister informed me that the schools’ tax rate in Freehold Borough was going to be over $1.10 per-hundred of assessed value. She also told me that the total tax rate was over $3.20 per-hundred in Freehold Borough. That’s frightening. I now live in a County neighboring Fairfax Virginia, Arlington. My total tax rate this year in Arlington is 97.5 cents per-hundred. We have better schools, better services, and better transportation than Fairfax does, and our services frankly outshine those of any Monmouth County municipality. Five elected officials run our County, in its entirety. (Well, they do have the help of a County manager – like the one all your municipalities have.) Ironically, "high" property taxes was an issue in the election in Arlington this year. I know, because I ran for office here this year. But for the shortsightedness of several thousand voters, I might have lowered that rate yet again.
Arlington County has 190,000 people being served by those five elected, part-time officials. We maintain control at the ballot box, but also through a vigorous system of community and civic associations. In addition, the County uses the wealth of its talented citizens to sit on scores of community advisory boards and commissions.
Now, I am not suggesting that you all move to Fairfax or Arlington County. Demand for our real estate here is hot enough, but if your tax rates are not close to ours, you might want to get "control" of the situation by streamlining all that government you have. Folks, at $3.00 per hundred of assessed value, we in Arlington County would want a Mayor to come into our homes, clean the dishes, and take out the trash – - but only after our County-provided teacher finished the individual home-schooling of our children.
Slay the beast; take control; dump the waste. There is a far better way to get "control" of your lives and your government. You need government. You just need less of it.
(BTW -- this was in January 2004. The tax rate in Arlington now is .87 cents per hundred -- for everything. Fairfax is hovering just around 1.00.)