Thursday, April 08, 2010

Freeholders are set to raise taxes

The Asbury Park Press reports that the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders is set to adopt a budget tonight that raises taxes $7.8 million, or 2.6%.

I find this to be a major disappointment, especially coming from a Republican controlled Freeholder board.

We have more government that we can afford. I urge my friends in Freehold to find at least $8,000,000 more to cut.

21 comments:

ambrosiajr said...

If you haven't noticed, taxes are going up everywhere thanks in large part to Christies draconian reduction in state aid. Not only school districts, but municipalities are increasing. We are getting triple slammed...an increase in the tax rate in Colts Neck, and now the County, and then the schools.

Is this the "change" you voted for?

Anonymous said...

Simply cut the budgets. If any town or county can't cut their budget, something is very wrong then. If they increase it, they do not belong sitting on dais, and should resign. Stop spending, it is that simple. Does the County really need new trucks? Yet you spend money on a garage that will fix the old trucks. You can't have both. The list, I am sure, can go on, and on.
You know you can cut. Everyone wants to blame the Governor. He is correct, stop spending, it is your duty to the taxpayers to stop spending and start finding ways to save. The whinning gets old quick.

ambrosiajr said...

Of course they should cut the spending...we have a republican controlled county and an all republican township committee in Colts Neck...and they still won't cut. I can assure you, in Colts Neck, they don't care about raising taxes since there are no consequences. They will never be voted out. I think the only way to send a message to Freehold is to vote them out and if they are raising our taxes, then they deserve to go. And, I mean all of them. Its a sad situation and very frustrating for people that are just making ends meet.

Anonymous said...

ambrosiajr, the unions need to take cuts

Anonymous said...

2.6 times ten years is 26%.If your real property taxes are $$8,000 now in ten years they are $10,000 per year.Lets all sacrifice so county employees can have a higher standard of living than we do.Yes we owe it to them.Just walk into any government office or ride by any county work crew and you will see why they deserve the highest pay along with the highest benefits.
What happened to John Curley.John "you got some splannin to do"??This is why republicans don't deserve leadership.When it comes to hard choices they don't have the stomach to lead.

ambrosiajr said...

I'm sorry Anon...it can't all be the union's fault. How about cutting out the $20K budget for the holiday party that the township committee throws for itself in Colts Neck. Or paying the former mayor $62K for a full time position that was a part time position before they gave it to him...and had no other candidates. Things like that...

Anonymous said...

The higher up in government you go the easier it becomes to cut taxes. This is because the higher you go the less essential services you provide. the County is doing a lot of jobs it should not be doing. They need to start looking at what they are doing that they don't have too.

Anonymous said...

What about taking, say, the 2000 budget, adjusting it for population increase and inflation, and then the next budget shouldn't be a penny more?

Anonymous said...

Making tough choices means CUTTING costs from your campaign donors (attorneys, engineers, accountants, auditors, vendors etc.) - NOT RAISING TAXES!

I'd rather have D'Amico in then god damned Don and Lillian Burry.

- ONE PISSED OFF CURLEY REPUBLICAN

Anonymous said...

You are a moron
Do you expect proffesionals to work for free. Do you think $125 hour for an attorney is too much
You try finding an attorney to represent you at that price.
How much do you think your taxes would go down if they lowered the hourly rate to $75 per hour.
Same with Engineers and accountants.
Do you want only the proffesionals who are desperate for work representing the government. The county is starting to loose good proffessionals because it does not make economic sense to work for the county any more.

the reason taxes are high is because they are running nursing homes and golf courses and homeless shelters and who knows what else that they should not be doing.

this is the problem with this coubtry. People mouth off about their taxes being too high and they don't have any clue as to the real reasons.

Anonymous said...

it's a bit late, but, hey, why not,go on the county website, www.visitmonmouth.com.. take the time to read all the services that are provided, and quite well, for your county tax dollar..learn to differentiate between what the county level controls, what your schools and locals control..(btw, where were you during all the public meetings/budget hearings?.. how many times have you phoned, e-mailed, or written a freholder to express your desires as to what to cut?).. what do you want cut?.. (outside of any people who may make more than you may)..it is likely, as with most people, you'll suggest things YOU don't use or care about..out of 650,000 people who now live here, maybe 10 or 15 even bother to attend any meetings or make good,positive, workable suggestions..call up and get a copy of all the minutes, all the figures, all they cut thus far, it'll help you form your cuts...if you're a DEM, oh, please, stop: most of you never met an "entitlement" or program you didn't love: ask the Dem freeholders what they cut from any social programs, it's nearly zero!!..it all boils down to: too many "fat" years of rapid growth, new good ratables, lots of new home sales, new business, etc., to cover the increasing demands of: "do THIS for me", "now, do THIS for us!":..so, here we are in a nearly destroyed economy,and everyone's tapped- out, scared, frustrated.. so, it's getting nasty, and people are over-generalizing, and not thinking about how, after years of letting things run amok, we're now focusing and demanding years of excesses, many APPROVED by us, be given a "quick-fix," which, some are starting, but will take time, if levels of demands, programs, services, are to be lowered.. .

Anonymous said...

There's plenty more where they can cut, although there are limitations to certain areas of the budget for which they cannot control. As for the towns raising taxes...why? If the State is cutting aide, it's time for the towns to start cutting too, and not just raising taxes to fill the void of State aide. Disappointing and disgusting on so many levels. The Governor is doing the right thing...time for everyone (including the unions) to stop feeding off the government tit.

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:33
Thank you
Finally someone who gets it.

The reason taxes are high is not because we pay people too much it is because we do too many things that the private sector should be doing.

I don't know who you are but you should run for office.

OH wait you are obviously too smart for that.

Anonymous said...

of course the same people screaming about high taxes ill be the same ones screaming when you cut the services that they want. how many of you people who think taxes are too high visit county parks, have kids in a county high school or brookdale. maybe you golf at a county course or your parents are in a county nursing home.
Just wondering

120wallace said...

I am perfectly willing to live without the government services. Just cut the taxes! What the hell is the county doing running a nursing home? Man up ! take resposiblity for you and your family.

been there, still got the t -shirt said...

thanks, 9:06, actually fell off the cliff 3 times, record was 2 wins, 1 loss.. decided could best serve the cause by finding some really good folks, helping them to get/stay there, then helping them to remain true to our core conservative values and GOP governing ideas..some unfortunately make it more about them after a while, but some have done well for us!.. need to keep going, especially THIS year!..

You wanna be a leader, then LEAD said...

totally agree, long past time to get out of the nursing homes, there are two county homes..sell them to a good prof. company, the folks'll be fine, they're nearly all medicaid-paid, so no problem there.. and, the Linkages program, for unwed moms with kids, at the old motel in Tinton Falls, needs to be sold to a non-profit, we do not need it on our real estate list... all that's needed is the courage and leadership to withstand the lib whining that will ensue, about putting women, kids and old people "out on the streets," which is ridiculous..take action, if you are really serious about expenses, or just blowing off: call/e-mail our freeholders,NOW, and tell them to finally get some realism in these, and other, never-ending pots of money that do NOT, necessarily, now fulfill their original "grand-scheme" purpose, in a cost-effective manner!..THIS is how to really cut ongoing programs that may well have outlived their shelf-life!!..and, ps: it's Amy Mallet's dep't, and she's worried about laying off jail guards and the Parks printing glossy brochures, rather then cutting ANYthing of significance from HER, the largest, county dept's.!!- she's up, next year, too!!

Anonymous said...

This is great.

I love to see that people are finally looking at the real cause of high taxes.

WHAT GOVERNMENT DOES.

now maybe the majority believes we should have a county college(I do) and a nursing home (I don't) and open space (I do) and golf courses (probably not)but these are the issues we should be debating. This is where the real money is!

Make them work said...

exactly: what DO you want to let them keep spending your money on?..we cannot be ALL things to ALL people- can't afford it!.remember,some things you VOTED for, and the parks and golf courses are two of them..they cannot be sold, as are bought with the voted, dedicated open space taxes, and must be "green" forever.. ps: the golf courses are now self-sustaining, and a bargain, who can afford private clubs, any more?.. as citizens, it is our duty, not just our right, to examine what gov't. really needs to do for us/others, with our money, and what we still want to and CAN do for ourselves: it really does come down to: how socialized and gov't-run, do we as Americans want to be, now?.. I believe more and more are realizing how much of our hard-fought and precious liberty we have, over decades, ALLOWED these idealogues,wonks, and statists to take from us, and we want it to STOP, now!..so, all, keep paying attention, and call,write, nag,force these "leaders" and wannabe leaders, to do the right things,and tell them that more of them will get to stay in-charge, if they grow a set, and hear and respond to we who pay the damn bills, from now on, or, 'bye, 'bye to them!

Anonymous said...

I mean Cape May has a ZOO.
Its a great Zoo. I love going to it. But how do you justify a county running a ZOO?

BTW I voted for open space as land preservation not Golf courses. I am glad they are self supporting but it is not something government should be involved in.

You mention how expensive private clubs are. So?
It is not the governments job to make sure you have a house to live in or that you have medical care. Surely it is not their job to make sure you have affordable Golf.

Make them work said...

just trying to make the point that, since we will always have the golf courses anyway, due to this economy, more people are using them, so at least they aren't COSTING us extra in taxes!..never said we need to subsidize others' hobbies!.. I'm personally one who is so SICK of "gimme, gimme", I am going bankrupt from everyone else I get to pay for!!..so, please direct your passion on those who keep bilking ALL of us who work to pay for those who don't!