Monmouth Freeholders Cut Spending and Taxes

Monmouth County Freeholders Gary Rich, Lillian Burry, Director Tom Arnone, Deputy Director Serena DiMaso and John Curley

The Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders introduced a budget on Thursday that reduces County spending by $18.2 million and reduces the property tax levy on County residents and businesses by $4.5 million.  The tax decrease is the first in 21 years and maybe ever, according to County Finance Director Craig Marshall.

The budget for the next fiscal year rolls County taxes back to 2008 levels and reduces spending to less than the 2007 budget. The tax cut reverses an increase, the only one since 2007, that the County imposed in the current year.

“This is a real cut,” said Freeholder Director Tom Arnone. “There is no fiscal gimmickry or raiding of trust funds or utility balances in this budget.”

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Budget Parameters

Captial Quickies has an interesting piece this morning about the 2011-2012 budget.

In addition to listing programs and the money to be spent on those programs, CQ says that the budget sets parameters for the programs that defines the administration’s leeway in spending.  

One of the restrictions that CQ lists strikes me as odd:

• Caps spending on Department of Transportation snow removal costs that the Treasury Department can approve without legislative approval at $10 million.

What happens if we get another historic blizzard late next winter and the $10 million limit has been met?   Would DOT have to spend the last $100K getting the legislators to Trenton to approve spending over the $10 million cap to clear the roads.  What if there are people in life threatening situations like there were during the December blizzard last winter?

I don’t think it is wise to have the legislature micromanaging the DOT’s snow removal spending.  Legislative approval for cost overruns of road projects might make sense.  Not snow removal.

• Tweet

LITTLE: CONGRESSIONAL INACTION ON TAX RATES IS IRRESPONSIBLE

HIGHLANDS, September 28) – Republican congressional challenger Anna Little – responding to further news reports indicating that Congress will likely recess without first holding a vote on whether or not to extend the current tax rates – today urged voters in New Jersey’s 6th Congressional District to hold her opponent, 22-year liberal incumbent Frank Pallone, accountable.
 
“Congress is being run by an irresponsible majority right now,” said Little. “There’s just no other way to say it. And Frank Pallone is a huge part of the problem.
 
“This year, for the first time since the Budget Act was passed in 1974, Congress didn’t even pass a budget,” continued Little. “And now, it appears the liberals who run the Congress are planning to go home to campaign before they pass a bill to extend the current tax rates.”
 
“If they don’t pass a bill to extend the current tax rates, New Year’s Day is going to bring with it the biggest tax hike in American history – all because the liberals who run the Congress are more concerned with keeping their own jobs than they are with helping their constituents create jobs for themselves and their communities.”
 
“I cannot think of anything that would be more irresponsible,” said Little. “Yet, shockingly, that appears to be precisely what they’re going to do.”
 
“The ability to hold our elected leaders accountable with regularly scheduled elections is one of the hallmarks of American democracy,” Little continued. “But that only works if our elected leaders actually vote BEFORE the elections on crucial issues. By waiting until after the election to engage in significant legislative action, our elected leaders are in essence hiding from the public. That’s just wrong, and it’s just one more reason we need to change Washington.”
 
“But the simple fact is, you cannot change Washington without changing the people in Washington.”
 
“The good news is, there’s an election in 35 days. And then the people will have a chance to make their voice heard!”

• Tweet