Apathy?

[admin]

www.app.com/article/20090521/NEWS/905210410/Few%20attend%20budget%20hearing%20in%20Freehold?GID=zJAuFcR9d6PsI1iLPrSzilVvEhumtA1LoKCPefBHQjA%3D

Few attend budget hearing in Freehold

FREEHOLD — Four minutes.



That's how long a 5:30 p.m. public hearing on the borough's proposed 2009 budget lasted Thursday. Borough Council members were even able to squeeze in the adoption of a contract award to Allied Oil LLC for gasoline and diesel fuel.

Four community members attended the hearing, half reporters. None commented on the borough's proposed $14.1 million budget, which would raise the municipal tax rate by 3.7 cents per $100 of assessed property value. The average homeowner — whose house is assessed at $259,676 — would have to pay about $96 more in municipal taxes.

Mayor Michael Wilson could not explain the low public turnout.

"Maybe it was the nice, beautiful weather," he said.

Council members did not approve the budget Thursday, because it is still under state review, Borough Administrator Joseph Bellina said before the meeting.

The budget will likely be adopted at the next council meeting, Wilson said. The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. June 1.

The public will have a chance to comment then as well, Councilman George Schnurr said.

"It's austere this year," Wilson said of the budget. "We're past the meat, we're to the bone."

State aid for the borough is down. Interest on investments, construction permit fees, court revenue and ratables have also dropped, Wilson said.

Borough officials avoided layoffs this year, but instead opted not to replace six employees. Two police officer positions could be filled if the borough receives federal funding, Bellina has said.

Officials also raised construction permit and landlord registration fees, and saved about $200,000 by switching insurance carriers, Wilson said.

Borough officials also hope to economize by paying about $508,000 of its pension payment, deferring another $452,000, the borough's chief financial officer, Nancy Forman, has said.

If anyone has questions about the budget before June 1, Council President Marc LeVine said after the meeting that he would be happy to answer them.

[admin]

I was going to post this separate, but this is a good tie in with another event that occurred last night and I believe the title of this thread is appropriate.

Last night the Human Relations Committee had their Safety Forum and that too was very poorly attended. That is a real shame.


When four teens and a bus driver dies in a terrible accident, citizens wanted something done to prevent another tragedy.

When a little girl lost her life in a fire, people poured their hearts out and, again, wanted to see something done so that it does not happen again.

Well, last night the HRC delivered a great forum that was geared to the whole family and community. This should have been a packed meeting. It wasn't. As we see by the first article posted in this thread, people were not in borough hall either.

I applaud the HRC for volunteering their time and energy in serving our town. They worked hard and put something really nice together for us.

In a small town like ours, there is little excuse as to why people do not pay better attention and get more involved. All of the community events are great and we are blessed to have them.

[seabass]

Brian, I totally understand the concern about the low to zero turnout for these meetings. I also understand why residents don't bother. Personally, I dont think someone needs to tell me to wear a bike helmet or use smoke detectors in my house..sometimes we need to be responsible for our own lives. This town has much bigger issues that I feel this town doesnt address, but has time and energy to have these forums or to plant a garden. I dont take them seriously and I KNOW TONS OF RESIDENTS THAT FEEL THE SAME.How can this town be serious about not replacing 6 officers out of 25 when they retire??Thats almost 25% of your police department, with all that salary comimg off the books you would think they could replace at least 4 of them. How come the town also has so much money owed in pension payments, sounds like they've been playin the shell game for sometime and now it's time to pony up. Not taxpayers fault.

[novillero]

Few attend budget hearing in Freehold

Mayor Michael Wilson could not explain the low public turnout.

"Maybe it was the nice, beautiful weather," he said.

Maybe it was the lack of notice.
Maybe it was because the budget is never broadcast in a way that would let people know.
Maybe it is because the town council does not want anyone to know when a budget meeting will be held.

If anyone has questions about the budget before June 1, Council President Marc LeVine said after the meeting that he would be happy to answer them.

How about Council President Marc LeVine post the proposed budget somewhere so that people can look at it?

[novillero]

Let me answer my own question:

do an opra request and you will get what you need. There. There is no need to reply, if you want the answers get them your d**n self. Council is not paid to make sure you know what is going on around town. That is what the Transcript is for.

[fiberisgoodforyou]

May 22, 2009 8:11:31 GMT -5 novillero said:

Let me answer my own question:

do an opra request and you will get what you need. There. There is no need to reply, if you want the answers get them your d**n self. Council is not paid to make sure you know what is going on around town. That is what the Transcript is for.

I had a function with the kids a few blocks away that first ended at 5:30, and darted (safely) over for the budget hearing..., I arrived at about 5:33 PM, noticed Mr Baldwin getting INTO his car, and a few moments later our councilmen and councilwoman filed out of boro hall. I had more face time in the parking lot…..

I picked up my copy of the new municipal budget a few weeks back. Its an interesting read. Apathy is anticipated. When I picked up my copy at the municipal clerks office, I picked up one of the TWO copies printed for the public. I suppose that If no one in a community of 12,000 ever shows enough interest in picking ip a copy municipal budget for review, why print more than two copies of the budget?

We are in luck; this budget was not voted on last evening. So anyone truly interested, I have a copy and would be happy to make more copies available at Boro Republican HQ! Contact me, and I will be glad to make a copy available, maybe share a pot of coffee and talk about this budget with you and learn about what you think!

About the HRC meeting, there were over 200 students, parents and family members at FIS last night for the spring Concert, bad timing and planning on the part of the HRC.

About the concert... BRAVO TO OUR SCHOOLS MUSIC PROGRAM AND OUR STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATE. There is some AMAZING talent being developed at our Boro Schools!~ no apathy there.

[novillero]

Four minutes to discuss a budget. They must have really had some discussion and explained a lot to the press and to who ever had notice of this meeting.

A meeting scheduled at 5:30. Not the regular time meetings are scheduled.

Four minutes, did that include the pledge of allegiance? What did they do at the minute other than open and close the meeting? What substance was there?

[novillero]

May 22, 2009 8:07:54 GMT -5 novillero said:

How about Council President Marc LeVine post the proposed budget somewhere so that people can look at it?

that is post it online, and at a place where people can get to it easily (more than 2 copies).

[admin]

This thread turned into some good discussion.

To Fiber, I have hear a lot of good about the music programs. If I were not in the safety forum, I would have checked out the concert. I am glad it did well.

Novillero, you are right, a five thirty meeting is odd. Many people are not even home from work yet. So close to a holiday is also a tough sell.

Lisa, you mention people being pressed for time and how hard it is to get something like this going. The safety forum was very good and not at all dry. One obvious obstacle was that there was so much going on this week competing for people's time. I will give you a hint, I spoke with councilman Sims and we will have something to discuss at the next meeting on that topic.

[admin]

May 22, 2009 7:52:05 GMT -5 @seabass said:

Brian, I totally understand the concern about the low to zero turnout for these meetings. I also understand why residents don't bother. Personally, I don't think someone needs to tell me to wear a bike helmet or use smoke detectors in my house..sometimes we need to be responsible for our own lives. This town has much bigger issues that I feel this town doesn't address, but has time and energy to have these forums or to plant a garden. I don't take them seriously and I KNOW TONS OF RESIDENTS THAT FEEL THE SAME.How can this town be serious about not replacing 6 officers out of 25 when they retire??Thats almost 25% of your police department, with all that salary coming off the books you would think they could replace at least 4 of them. How come the town also has so much money owed in pension payments, sounds like they've been playing the shell game for sometime and now it's time to pony up. Not taxpayers fault.

Seabass,

I saved the best for last. I like your post. It is honest and hits upon many good points. I agree with you that we need to be responsible for our own lives. While I personally see great value in the positives and little things like a community garden or these forums, I cannot disagree with you that there are very big issues that need to be addressed. I know that a lot of people feel that way, and rightfully so.

Your points about replacing officers and the budget are a good tie in with crime as an issue. That is a very real issue for us when the APP reports us as number three. Your inquiry raises very valid concerns and questions.

Maybe the PD can host a forum!

Anyway, the safety forum was well done. Most people could have learned a few things. The kids who were there asked tons of questions, which shows that this was a good family thing.

Either way, the Human relations Committee welcomes people to go to meetings and express concerns. One of the goals of this forum was to get people to go to that committee. And people should.

[admin]

May 22, 2009 18:18:44 GMT -5 lisas84 said:

Brian, you may have misread my post -- I may have been unclear. The dry stuff to me is numbers and budgets with integers, digits and percentages and balances. Not easier to understand concepts of safety. Let me be clear. When it comes to balance sheets and accounting -- my eyes cross and glaze over because one has to have more brains for that than I do. I'm lost in all that - it is a total harsh-terrained foreign land to me. Hey, I work with words for a living and all I can barely do is balance a checkbook!!

the simple act of thinking about numbers and balances makes me crave a glass of wine right now because I have anxiety.

Thanks for the heads up. And I want to take this opportunity Brian to once again express what a terrific job you are doing -- volunteer -- to promote various activities, forums and events. You are an honorable chairman to work with on the CIC and I want everyone to know how hard you work and the hours you put in to "spreading the word" about the various events going on. I also appreciate how well you listen to all of us on the committee and encourage individual participation.

Lisa, your right! I did misread your post and got the meetings mixed up. Numbers are boring!

[admin]

May 22, 2009 18:24:20 GMT -5 lisas84 said:

I also appreciate Seabass' authentic commentary. The one thing that saddened me for Seabass is that this individual thinks that such community oriented events such as the garden is not something to be taken seriously. Activities such as the community garden are things that pull people together and simply make them feel good. Just because someone disdains or disrespects his/her town's governing body doesn't mean that everything this body puts forth is not worthy of respect or worthy of being taken seriously. When times are tough all over, people find a way of getting together and doing something that feels good, gives beauty, and gives something back to the community.

Lisa, I agree with you in the value of the good things that pull people together for the right reasons. Building community pride is a very valuable thing and the NPC is one example of a very positive thing.

I still have to respect Seabass's concerns because we do not know that persons situation. I will give you an example. The other night at the rental forum, a woman got up and asked several questions. She mentioned a neighbor of hers that sounded horrible. She described trash every where, a run down property and rats coming from that property. For someone who has to live with that , it is hard to get by it and look at the other things around. That woman mentioned that she bought and invested her time and money in this town. She has a reasonable expectation of having a nice quality of life.

At that rental forum, there were a number of people who were there because they have very big concerns. Seabass, is right, there are many people who feel this way. That should never be underestimated or disrespected.

It is easy for me to appreciate the good things in town because I live in a good area for now. My interest is in keeping it that way. Other areas of town that I looked to buy in did not stay as nice and are facing the very problems that were the subject of the rental meeting. If I did move into one of those other areas and had to deal with my neighbors rats, I would not care one iota about a community garden either.

We have been through these sort of discussions before and this is where I really am a middle of the road person. I see both sides. And respect both.

[novillero]

Freehold awaits state OK before adopting budget
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
May 27, 2009

FREEHOLD — The Borough Council expects to adopt the 2009 Freehold Borough municipal budget at its June 1 meeting.

The council held a public hearing on the budget on May 21, but no member of the public commented on the proposed spending plan.

Officials said the budget remained under review by the state and is expected to be adopted next week.

The 2009 budget totals just over $14 million and will be supported by an $8.1 million local levy tax. The borough will receive $1.57 million in state aid in 2009.

The municipal tax rate will rise 3.8 cents from 71.8 cents to 75.6 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. That means the owner of a home assessed at the borough average of $259,000 will pay about $1,958 in municipal taxes in 2009, which is up $99 from the 2008 municipal tax of $1,859 on the same home.

Municipal taxes are one part of a property owner's overall tax bill, which also includes Freehold Borough K-8 school taxes, Freehold Regional High School District taxes, Monmouth County taxes and other assessments.

The 2008 budget totaled $14.1 million and was supported by a $7.7 million local tax levy and $1.6 million in state aid.

Wilson said the state aid will be reduced another 2.5 percent over and above the 10 percent reduction in 2008.

"Our interest on our investments was reduced by $175,000 from last year," the mayor said. "Our municipal court fees are down and our property ratables base has seen a decline of $8 million. There has also been a reduction in our construction permits as well."

The borough has generated $400,000 less in surplus this year than in the previous year. Wilson said the council has taken certain measures to minimize the impact of the budget on taxpayers.

"We have not replaced six civilian employees over the last few years," the mayor said. "We've raised construction permit fees and our landlord registration fees."

Wilson said the borough has switched insurance carriers, yielding a savings of $200,000.

"We have also not replaced our tax collector," he said.

A previous story in the New Transcript reported that the borough's retired tax collector will not be replaced and neither will two employees who retired from the Streets and Roads Department. One employee from the Water and Sewer Department passed away and will not be replaced. No layoffs of current employees are planned.

Two police officers have retired from the borough's police force, but those officers may be replaced with funds provided by a federal COPS grant.

Borough Administrator Joseph Bellina previously explained that one of the biggest savings in the 2009 municipal budget is the ability to defer half of the town's pension payment to a future budget.

The council's decision in 2009 will yield a savings of $400,000 and "prevent a backbreaking tax increase on property owners," Bellina said.

The pension payment to the state that is being deferred now will have to be paid back to the New Jersey pension system in the coming years, with interest.

Bellina said that in addition to the savings yielded by the new insurance plan, garbage collection and recycling costs may also yield some savings in the 2009 budget.

According to Bellina, Wilson has announced that competitive bidding for refuse and recycling collection has produced prices that are 15 percent less than what the town is currently paying.

Bellina said nine companies participated in the bidding, which "produced a very competitive atmosphere."

Borough officials are currently reviewing the bids and are hopeful that the new contract commencing on July 1 will produce the anticipated savings. He said officials are analyzing the possibility of enhancing Freehold Borough's recycling schedule within the new contract.
newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2009/0527/front_page/029.html

[seabass]

Lisa, I dont immediately dismiss all that this council has done, however I get really aggrevated when all you hear is about the wonderful community garden while I have to chase a passed out drunken "immigrant" from my front porch. As far as the garden bringing beauty to town, you do realize that it's surrounded by a six foot high barbed wire fence. How beautiful........

[novillero]

Jun 6, 2009 10:24:37 GMT -5 @seabass said:

Lisa, I dont immediately dismiss all that this council has done, however I get really aggrevated when all you hear is about the wonderful community garden while I have to chase a passed out drunken "immigrant" from my front porch. As far as the garden bringing beauty to town, you do realize that it's surrounded by a six foot high barbed wire fence. How beautiful........

is it really surrounded by barb wire fencing?

I too have contacted the police about a similar situation of somebody passed out where they were not supposed to be. I contacted the police, and have not noticed it again in that location.

[admin]

Jun 6, 2009 13:29:26 GMT -5 novillero said:

Jun 6, 2009 10:24:37 GMT -5 @seabass said:

Lisa, I don't immediately dismiss all that this council has done, however I get really aggrevated when all you hear is about the wonderful community garden while I have to chase a passed out drunken "immigrant" from my front porch. As far as the garden bringing beauty to town, you do realize that it's surrounded by a six foot high barbed wire fence. How beautiful........

is it really surrounded by barb wire fencing?

I too have contacted the police about a similar situation of somebody passed out where they were not supposed to be. I contacted the police, and have not noticed it again in that location.

It really is surrounded by barbed wire. When I first saw that, it really surprised me as an odd contrast. But, after a bit of thought, it is probably smart. The efforts that the people who are gardening will be better protected. I noticed a combination lock on the gate. I assume that people who rent a plot get the combo.

The actual garden is very nice. I was there right after the planting and took some pictures. I will go back when it is more mature and get some more to post on the home pages.

[novillero]

Did the budget pass on the 1st?

While I think only a $98 increase is good in these times (I don't care to see any increase actually, but $98 ain't bad), I have a concern that we may be deferring postponing debts to a later date (which, in my opinion makes paying them off later all the harder).

For example, it seems that over the past years we have taken on more debt servicing, and it seems that this years budget deferred pension payments. While the pain is not felt today, the bill on deferments will come due.

If anyone has any answers or thoughts on these issues, I'd appreciate your comments.

I expect that this posting will not result in any hasty e-mails to Brian or any people that post here, and that it will just be ignored by those who are in-the-know. I think these are legitimate concerns of any taxpayer in Freehold and should be aired. Sorry if I got late notice for the meeting and couldn't attend the meeting, but that does not mean that taxpayers should be left in the dark.

[admin]

Jun 10, 2009 8:49:15 GMT -5 novillero said:

Did the budget pass on the 1st?

While I think only a $98 increase is good in these times (I don't care to see any increase actually, but $98 ain't bad), I have a concern that we may be deferring postponing debts to a later date (which, in my opinion makes paying them off later all the harder).

For example, it seems that over the past years we have taken on more debt servicing, and it seems that this years budget deferred pension payments. While the pain is not felt today, the bill on deferments will come due.

If anyone has any answers or thoughts on these issues, I'd appreciate your comments.

I expect that this posting will not result in any hasty e-mails to Brian or any people that post here, and that it will just be ignored by those who are in-the-know. I think these are legitimate concerns of any taxpayer in Freehold and should be aired. Sorry if I got late notice for the meeting and couldn't attend the meeting, but that does not mean that taxpayers should be left in the dark.

That issue of deferred payments is one that is popping up everywhere. It doesn't sit well with me. It is very understandable that towns are attracted to it in times like these when revenues are down by a lot, but it really seems like a gamble to me. What if things do not improve? That will be a massive bill for the tax payers at some point. As it is, public employee pensions are in big trouble because of years worth of mismanagement in Trenton. Public employees are going to expect to collect on their pensions after years of paying a nice chunk of change every week into them.