Millville’s Commissioner Joe Derella is a disappointment. As chairman of the Revenue and Finance Committee, Derella is responsible for crafting the city’s budget. Derella decries the difficulty in the job and then raises taxes.
Even those not paying attention have known that since Chris Christie was elected governor, cuts were coming. Yet, Derella acts as though the municipal cuts were a surprise. And what does good ol’ Joe propose? Why yes, he thinks another raise in local taxes is in order.
Millville Revenue and Finance Commissioner Joe Derella called the numbers “a disappointment,” adding they raise the potential for higher property taxes at the local level.
“You try to prepare for something like this, but we didn’t think (the cuts) would be this large,” said Derella, of the nearly $1 million reduction in aid to befall Millville.
“In Millville, we’re looking at a potential budget gap of $3.6 million. Now, add this to that, plus the loss of Urban Enterprise Zone funds.”
Derella doesn’t get it . . . not at all. Government spending is out of control. Cutting state spending only to have local spending increase nets the taxpayer absolutely nothing. But Derella has little to worry about. He was re-elected just a year ago, and by the time he is up again for re-election, folks will have forgotten the tax increase. This is the same modus operandi that Freeholder Lou Magazzu uses. There’s enough frustration among taxpayers, however, that there may be a backlash if Derella and company raise taxes again.
The first cut to the municipal budget should be any benefits the Commissioners earn. Derella uses a novacare.com instead of the millville.org address listed on the city’s web page. Certainly he should not be earning health benefits or paid the $4200 buyout for forgoing those benefits as a part-time elected official. Mr. Derella, what say you?
Governor Christie’s budget address yesterday was a breath of fresh air. Never before have I heard a politician speak so frankly and honestly, although I do note that Governor Corzine was honest in his budget address I attended at Rowan in 2006. It is my hope that Christie is able to follow through with his plan; Corzine did not and the problem became worse.
Christie took on NJEA. Why does the NJEA president have an invitation to the budget address? She is not a government employee. Hallelujah!
Next year’s budget will be 9% less than this year. Hallelujah!
One area I have an issue with in pension reform. While a lot was said and some items addressed, yes I will be paying, Governor Christie is not making the state obligated payment to the fund. The state skips this regularly. This is a large part of the pension problem. While payouts are too numerous, they wouldn’t hurt nearly as much if the fund had the missing billions of dollars the state owes.
Another issue is the apparent $159 million grant program Christie has in the budget. This is an easy cut to the budget, which will reduce spending even further. Christmas tree slush funds have no business in a state budget. Get rid of it, sir!
Christie took the first step. Of course, none of this means a thing if local governments increase taxes. Christie said there will be tools for municipalities to reduce spending. Millville City Commission take note: you cannot raise taxes to bridge the gap of lost “revenue” from the state. You must reduce the size of government. Spending needs to decrease, not remain flat. Don’t manipulate things to keep from laying off employees. There are only so many block parties that can be reduced before real jobs are affected. And Mayor Shannon, the governor spoke about the importance of having recreational opportunities this summer; don’t close Union Lake (even though the goose poop will) stating you are cutting spending while the Recreation Department remains fully staffed.
Likewise, state agencies need to heed the same advice. Cuts to public transportation does not mandate a 25% fare increase. Where are the cuts within the department? The state is not going to give you the money; don’t just find a new funding source (riders). Cut the overhead. No state employee should have a salary larger than the governor. No one.
The budget address was refreshing. Thank you Governor Christie. There is still a lot of work left to do. This is just the opening chapter to resolving New Jersey’s woes.
P.S.
NJN is a taxpayer-funded enterprise. It posted video of the budget address. Thankfully. I missed the broadcast and the re-broadcast. The address is public business and the video is public property. Why does NJN not permit one to embed the video? This is not proprietary content. And fwiw, I support the governor’s desire to privatize NJN.
That sounds great. Then Van Drew softens the effect of the bill by stating that law enforcement and public works be exempt. He further contends that “leniency would be encouraged for employees who need state vehicles to do their jobs.”
What vehicles are left? Why does the state own any vehicle that is not needed for an employee to do his job?
What is really happening is that Van Drew is tossing more legislation onto the pile. He sponsors more bills than any legislator. His name is always in the paper. It sounds great to sponsor a bill that generates the headline NJ Senate panel: slash state car fleet. The impression is that Van Drew is fighting for us; the reality is that he’s re-shuffling the paperwork to garner a headline.
In the polling booth, Van Drew is banking on that you remember his name, not that he didn’t do anything.
My issue with Christie’s remedy is a constitutional amendment. Government needs to be prudent; it should not take the state constitution to do so. Obviously, the economy has tanked. A 2.5% annual increase sounds prudent today. But should/when the economy bounces back and “revenue” is flowing, 2.5% may very well be an impediment to government.
How about things remain the way they are and the state refuses to allow Millville bypass the law? That would seem a far better approach to me.
Christie is also reported to be looking at eliminating property tax rebates. Hallelujah! The property tax rebate program is nonsensical. Eliminating it is worthwhile.
I am alarmed, however, with some of the nuances that seem to be included with this proposal.
Christie will also propose converting the state’s property tax rebate checks into direct credits on homeowners’ tax bills, eliminating what was once considered an almost untouchable fixture of New Jersey government and politics because of its popularity among voters. Some homeowners may still receive a refund, but the envelope from the state treasury containing an actual check that has arrived almost every summer for 30 years would be gone.
. . .
It was not clear Saturday which residents would receive direct property tax relief through tax credits.
Rather than jerk around the money and spend the time, effort, and money managing a nuanced program, just make the money grab and be done with it.
Christie has stated multiple times he has no problem being a one-term governor. Only someone concerned with re-election would need to construct a piecemeal program.
Tuesday will be an interesting day. I am hoping not to hear a lot of gimmicks such as one-time freezes, etc. Large chunks need to be paired. I suspect it will be a mixed bag. I cannot see how Christie is going to make any pension payments this year. Underfunding the pension system does nothing to help out a financial mess. Since that is one of the biggest effects on the budget, shouldn’t the yearly promise be made?
We shall see what becomes of this baby. New Jersey needs leadership, not politics.
Family members will recall that I was not in favor initially of John McCain selecting her as his VP candidate. Her selection was largely due to her gender. To me, that made her a weak selection. But the thing is, I really liked what she said (On hindsight, perhaps she didn’t say a whole lot, however.). McCain lost not because of her but rather because of his inane policies.
With the election over, Palin returned to Alaska with lots of newfound prying eyes. Then she quit her job.
Well now, that was an odd move. I will say she presented the issue well. Well enough I kind of gave her a pass on it. Certainly initially, I was more supportive of the move than I am now. Palin claimed that the frivolous lawsuits were mounting and that while governor, was not financially able to mount challenges. Okay, I can believe that. Shoot, we would not be able to do so from our paychecks either.
The newly unemployed Palin did what all politicians seem to do; she wrote a book. I had no desire to read the book, and from what I gleaned, it wasn’t much of one. But I suppose it put the money in her pocket that she needed for the lawsuits and provide for her family for a bit.
But Palin has continued to perplex me. She now is employed by Fox News. I understand why Fox News would want her as an employee, but what does working for the news network do for her? Her credibility has taken a huge hit. She is now a pundit for hire. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, but those folks are not political leaders. She is now in the raft with the likes of Dick Morris.
Some may point to Mike Huckabee as a similar politican-turned-pundit. Most assume Huckabee will run again for president in 2012. But what can Huckabee point to having done during the his two runs? He hosts a vapid television show on the weekends. That is a huge mark against him should he decide to run. and if he doesn’t run, what will he have to offer the news network at that point?
If Palin wants to escape that comparison, she needs to differentiate herself from another seeming contender. She isn’t doing that.
Free of playing second fiddle on a ticket and representing a state, this is the time for Palin to show her stuff, as it were. She had a rousing speech at a tea party convention a couple weeks ago. Yet, there was no meat to the speech at all.
What does she do to follow that up? She is now the warm-up act to Glenn Beck’s tour. Perhaps her speech was full of specifics that the reviewer neglected to report.
Palin says expanded government and growth in federal spending will hurt the country.
She says Washington is disconnected from the rest of America, arguing that Congress is ignoring the demands of the people to stop expanding government programs.
Palin told the audience that Americans should remember that the government works for them and not the other way around.
It’s a message that resonated with her fans.
It’s not that I disagree with those sentiments; I have the same thoughts myself. The issue is what does Palin suggest we do? The answer to that needs to rise above the discourse that I would write here. Shoot, I’ve called for pruning the federal Education Department. Has Palin even taken that small step?
When does the country learn of Palin’s policies? Certainly if she has any expectations of running for office she will need to present some. Right now she is seen as a quitter with a folksy delivery. And if Palin does not want to run for office, just what does she have to offer? As insidious as Dick Morris is, he does offer some policies . . . they just happen to be wrong most of the time.
Granted Palin is making money now that I am not. If that is her goal, then she can disregard me. If she wants more than money whether it be public office or a place at the table, she needs credibility. Hers is quite suspect right now. From where I sit, she isn’t making the correct moves to lend legitimacy to her point of view.
