| The all Republican Council's and Republican Mayor's current mantra is "4 budgets without a tax increase".
This mantra is misleading and boarders on an outright lie.
1) It's Five Budgets not Four, Dummies.
What is important about 4 vs 5 budgets? The incumbants entered office 4 years ago and have introduced their own budget every year while in office, which is 4 years. This year they changed the budget calendar. Because they changed the budget calendar from a fiscal year to a calendar year they naturally had to introduce a transitional budget to cover the period of time from when the the fiscal year ends and the calendar year begins. That is budget number 5.
Why is this misleading? Most voters do not understand the change in budget calendars and the necessity of introducing an additional budget. So, when they hear "4 budgets without a tax increase" they associate that with 4 years, which is the period the up for re-election Mayor and 2 Council people have filled in their first terms in office.
Why mislead the voters? Because the 1st budget included a massive 33% tax hike and they want the voters to forget it.
Here is a link to a Moody's Investor Services report detailing the ongoing source of revenue from this tax hike paragraph 8: (it is free to sign up if you do not have an account)
http://www.moodys.com/research...
2) It was Your Tax Hike and not the Previous Mayor's
When asked, the Mayor and the Council constantly claim that they needed to raise taxes to cover an enormous deficit left by the prior Mayor. And even go as far as saying that "the Tax Hike was his".
Huh? It was an all Republican Council so why aren't they blaned too?
Huh 2? What was this fiscal crisis? They have yet to clearly define it beyond mismanagement, enormous deficit and misappropriation. The Trenton Times said the crisis was $5 million to $8 million. The Mayor states it was enormous amount exceeding $10 million. The Business Administrator said it was $16.7 milllion.
After 4 years, you have not uttered a word about misappropriations, you have not pursued criminal charges...you have not done nor said anything since your election. And once a year in the Maypr's Budget Address you mention "fiscal mismangement" just to remind the voters of the "mess" you inherited.
Huh 3? You honestly feel that a $13.3 million permanant tax hike was the proper response to a $5 million to $16.7 million deficit?
3) You raised taxes AGAIN in 2009
According to Moody's Investor services, and my escrow statements, you raised taxes again by 9% for $5.3 million. Here is the Moody's report see paragraph 6: (it is free to sign up if you do not have an account)http://www.moodys.com/research/MOODYS-ASSIGNS-NEGATIVE-OUTLOOK-TO-A2-RATING-ON-HAMILTON-TOWNSHIPS?lang=en&cy=global&docid=NIR_15963761
4) You cut costs $4 million a year since arriving in office Great, but you did it based upon misleading employees.
I will get back to this later.
5) You raised Township Fees $1 million a year since arriving in office.
6) The math:
$13.3 million x 4 years +
$5 million by 3 years +
$4 million by 4 years +
$1 million by 4 years +
equals $88.2 million
Back out the $10 million deficit (I split the difference from above)
equals $78.2 million
Back out the sum total spending increases of your 5 budgets over the last budget of the previous Mayor equals $30 million
Net amount remaining is $48.2 million. Where is it? You have not paid off bonds? You have not paid off loans. Where is the money?
And since you have so much more ongoing sources of revenue, what justification do you have for laying off employees and furloughing the remainder? |
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