Berkeley Heights Votes Yes on Cap Bank
Just as if a person walked into a buffet and loosened their belt
…
I am disappointed to report that the Berkeley Heights Township
Council voted 6-0, with all 3 Republicans and all 3 of the
Democrats voting YES on the Cap Bank Vote. This vote “loosens
the belt” of restrictions to the Council allowing them to
budget more than the Cap normally allows. One would expect this
from a free spending Liberal Agenda, but part of being
Republican is fiscal conservatism. This vote is very disrespectful
to the Businesses and Residents of Berkeley Heights. It is very
easy to spend other people’s money and this vote makes it
even easier for the Township Council.
While the Cap Bank is not a vote to spend Berkeley Heights Business
and Residents money directly, it sets the expectation to feast on
excessive spending all at the taxpayers dime. It sets the stage for
spending over and above the current limitations. It was clearly
stated in Tuesdays Township Council Meeting that they will indeed
spend more next year because they cut back this year, and they want
to have the ability to go over the cap.
Knowing that municipalities historically overspend, well over what
inflation would dictate, a spending/appropriations cap is set by
the state to allow only for cost of living increases based on
inflation data. This law was put into place as an admittance that
NJ Property taxes were out of control. To allow for extreme
hardship cases, they left open the option for the local government
to vote to bypass some restrictions to this spending, this option
has to be voted on in the affirmative in a public meeting.
Escalating property taxes are a real issue in Berkeley Heights,
mine going up from $10,500 to $18,000 in 15 years. With taxes
increasing year after year, long time residents are moving out of
town, and businesses are shutting their doors. Berkeley Heights was
once a place with a small town feel and a mix of Blue and White
Collar workers were able to afford to buy a home, it is now a place
where one can afford the home but not the property taxes.
The Berkeley Heights Council needs to question professional advice
that neglects to divulge a continual history of exceeded budget
limits, but rather calls the Cap Bank vote a tool to provide budget
flexibility and which tells the Council that most Townships Vote
for it.
The budget statute’s wonderfully worded policy statement
(40A:4-45.1) defiantly declares: ”...that the ever increasing
cost of local government must be controlled to protect the
homeowners of the State and enable them to maintain their
homesteads. ...”
That is the mandate. It then provides an exception to the mandate,
for an extreme edge case: “At the same time the Legislature
recognizes that local government cannot be constrained to the point
that it is impossible to provide necessary services to its
residents.”
Yet, in the majority of years, a raised cap limit, which is the
exception, has ruled in Berkeley Heights!
Both the words “impossible” and “necessary”
are strong words yet Berkeley Heights has used this exception in
the majority of the years. It is clear that Berkeley Heights has
NOT been so close to financial bankruptcy where it would have been
IMPOSSIBLE to provide NECESSARY services to its residents.
Berkeley Heights Township Council has a spending addiction. I have
pointed this out in my post about the township debt and here is yet
another example where the Town Council is taking the easy way out
rather than fulfilling its fiduciary duties to enable “the
residents to maintain their homesteads.” This is proven by
the great number moving out of the town and businesses closing
their doors, storefronts staying empty, all with similar stories of
not being able to afford the taxes and others feeling that paying 5
times the national average in property tax is just too much to
maintain their homestead.
The typical US homeowner pays about $2,279 in property taxes,
according to WalletHub's data.
On July 7’s Republican Primary , vote for Republicans:
Maciejewski and de Luna Column F to bring fiscal responsibility to
Berkeley Heights.