Joins with Local Officials in Urging Governor to Limit Increases to Other Towns
Senator Sean Kean (R-11) today blasted the Governor’s proposal to drastically reduce municipal aid to many Monmouth County towns and called on him to save money by limiting aid increases in certain towns.
At a press conference in Neptune City, Kean was joined by mayors and council members from some of the municipalities that would be impacted by the cuts which are aimed at towns with less than 10, 000 residents.
“Towns throughout Monmouth County will be devastated by these draconian cuts in municipal aid,” he said. “Many towns rely on this aid to balance their budget and to slash this aid is wholly irresponsible.”
Governor Corzine recently announced $37.5 million in cuts in municipal aid to towns with populations of then 10, 000. Many towns would have their aid eliminated completely and others would have their aid cut in half.
Neptune City Mayor Tom Arnone joined Kean in slamming the cuts and illustrated the impact the cuts would have on his community.
“If enacted, these cuts will have a significant impact on the citizens of Neptune City,” said Arnone. “Cutting our aid, along with an increase in pension costs, will result in a more than $200 increase in property taxes for the Neptune City taxpayer.”
Kean said limiting aid to several municipalities that are slated to receive increased aid would save more money than slashing aid to all of the towns with populations of less than 10, 000. An analysis prepared by the Office of Legislative Services found that limiting aid increases to 2.5 percent in school districts in Garfield, Bridgeton, Irvington, Orange, Bayonne, Harrison, Kearny, North Bergen, Union City, New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, Clifton, Passaic, Elizabeth and Hillside would save nearly $75 million. Conversely, the Governor’s proposal to cut aid to towns of less than 10, 000 residents has been estimated to result in a savings of $37.5 million.
“While we must reduce state spending, punishing smaller municipalities is not the answer to the state’s fiscal crisis,” said Kean. “We should first look to reduce the millions of dollars that the state is sending to other communities that have been receiving aid increases for years with little or no oversight.”
Kean also questioned the timing of the cuts saying that towns may not have the opportunity to enter into shared service agreements to provide cost savings that would make up for the aid cuts.
“While we should be encouraging towns to try to find cost savings through shared services there is not enough time for these agreements to be reached,” he said. “The reality is that these towns are going to be forced to either cut services or raise taxes.”
Also joining Kean were his 11th District colleagues, Assemblyman Dave Rible and Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini.
Link to Post:
http://www.senatenj.com/index.php/seankean/senator-sean-kean-slams-municipal-aid-cuts/328
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March 26, 2008
