Tonight: Harrison Budget Meeting
I want to remind everyone that there is a Mayor and Council Meeting for the Town of Harrison tonight, Thursday, June 25, 2009. I previously posted the link to the Budget. Have you gotten a chance to review it? Do you have your questions ready for tonight? Please come out and ask them.
In typical Harrison fashion, the Mayor Raymond McDonough has added some other very important items which he will seek to put through without much fanfare and sprinkled in the giving out of an Award to the Senior Citizen of the Year, Amelia Shields. The Agenda for the meeting is available online by clicking here.
The Budget:
Bottomline: Nothing has been cut. It is business as usual in the Town of Harrison. While other towns seek to reduce their budgets in the face of a weak economy and job losses, Mayor McDonough continues business as usual. Why? Because there is an expectation that Governor Jon Corzine will bail them out if necessary. The Town of Harrison has gone from a town that was self sufficient to a town that is dependant on extraordinary aid, special grants and Abbott funding to keep it afloat. The Mayor is fond of stating that everything has been approved by the DCA (the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs). It has. The DCA is suppose to be monitoring what Harrison is spending the taxpayer's money on, but in my opinion it does not. This year's budget says that loud and clear.
Here are some questions for tonight's meeting:
1. Were there any cuts made to the budget?
2. If there were budget cuts, where were those cuts made?
3. Are there any individuals getting an increase in salary?
4. If so, who are those individuals?
5. Are the increases a result of a union contract or not a result of a union contract?
6. Which ones are not a result of union contract?
7. Does any of the council members or the Mayor have any family members on town payroll?
8. Who are those family members?
9. Should that council member abstain from voting on the budget because of that apparent conflict of interest?
10. What is the amount of the Fire Department's Budget? (A: over 5,000,000)
11. How many firefighters do we have?
12. What are their average salary? (5,000,000 divided by number of firefighters).
13. Who is entitled to the Town's Group Health Plan?
14. Are part time employees entitled to the Town's Group Health Plan?
15. How much are health benefits per person? (Budget has 7,075,000 for Health Insurance)
16. Can someone break down what $65,000 in telephone represents? (page 32 of Budget)
17. Who is entitled to cell phone?
18. Who has a cell phone in town?
19. Has anyone reviewed telephone bills to see if there is a way to reduce the bill?
20. Who is our landline provider? Who is cell phone provider?
21. Has the town deferred its required contribution to the Police and Fire Retirement Program and Public Employees Retirement System? (see page 35 of Budget)
22. How much would the average taxpayers property tax bill had gone up if that deferment had not been made?
23. Are property taxes going up?
24. How much would property taxes go up for the average taxpayer if the Town of Harrison lost its Abbott funding?
The above is only a handful of questions that should and must be asked by council members at the town meeting. The likelihood of anyone besides Councilmembers Steve and Maria McCormick asking these questions is small.
Only two council members exactly care about the budget. Those two council members, Steve and Maria McCormick, cannot do it alone. Other residents and business owners must step up. Why do I care? Because my parents own property in Harrison. Because I have a law office in town. Because I grew up in Harrison. Although I no longer live in town, I will always be a Harrisonian. The Harrison I know and love is in danger. While Mayor McDonough continues business as usual, I see more and more Harrisonians struggling to pay their mortgages which include ever increasing property taxes. Mayor McDonoguh has no thought of cutting anything back. If residents and business owners do not get together, Mayor McDonough and his team will continue business as usual and eventually Harrisonians will have no choice but to walk away from their homes and businesses.
Please attend tonight's council meeting and ask one or two questions. Bring your friends and have them videotape the meeting.
There is also a proposal to have the town videotape the Mayor and Council meeting. That is likely the only thing the Mayor and Council will not find money for.
In typical Harrison fashion, the Mayor Raymond McDonough has added some other very important items which he will seek to put through without much fanfare and sprinkled in the giving out of an Award to the Senior Citizen of the Year, Amelia Shields. The Agenda for the meeting is available online by clicking here.
The Budget:
Bottomline: Nothing has been cut. It is business as usual in the Town of Harrison. While other towns seek to reduce their budgets in the face of a weak economy and job losses, Mayor McDonough continues business as usual. Why? Because there is an expectation that Governor Jon Corzine will bail them out if necessary. The Town of Harrison has gone from a town that was self sufficient to a town that is dependant on extraordinary aid, special grants and Abbott funding to keep it afloat. The Mayor is fond of stating that everything has been approved by the DCA (the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs). It has. The DCA is suppose to be monitoring what Harrison is spending the taxpayer's money on, but in my opinion it does not. This year's budget says that loud and clear.
Here are some questions for tonight's meeting:
1. Were there any cuts made to the budget?
2. If there were budget cuts, where were those cuts made?
3. Are there any individuals getting an increase in salary?
4. If so, who are those individuals?
5. Are the increases a result of a union contract or not a result of a union contract?
6. Which ones are not a result of union contract?
7. Does any of the council members or the Mayor have any family members on town payroll?
8. Who are those family members?
9. Should that council member abstain from voting on the budget because of that apparent conflict of interest?
10. What is the amount of the Fire Department's Budget? (A: over 5,000,000)
11. How many firefighters do we have?
12. What are their average salary? (5,000,000 divided by number of firefighters).
13. Who is entitled to the Town's Group Health Plan?
14. Are part time employees entitled to the Town's Group Health Plan?
15. How much are health benefits per person? (Budget has 7,075,000 for Health Insurance)
16. Can someone break down what $65,000 in telephone represents? (page 32 of Budget)
17. Who is entitled to cell phone?
18. Who has a cell phone in town?
19. Has anyone reviewed telephone bills to see if there is a way to reduce the bill?
20. Who is our landline provider? Who is cell phone provider?
21. Has the town deferred its required contribution to the Police and Fire Retirement Program and Public Employees Retirement System? (see page 35 of Budget)
22. How much would the average taxpayers property tax bill had gone up if that deferment had not been made?
23. Are property taxes going up?
24. How much would property taxes go up for the average taxpayer if the Town of Harrison lost its Abbott funding?
The above is only a handful of questions that should and must be asked by council members at the town meeting. The likelihood of anyone besides Councilmembers Steve and Maria McCormick asking these questions is small.
Only two council members exactly care about the budget. Those two council members, Steve and Maria McCormick, cannot do it alone. Other residents and business owners must step up. Why do I care? Because my parents own property in Harrison. Because I have a law office in town. Because I grew up in Harrison. Although I no longer live in town, I will always be a Harrisonian. The Harrison I know and love is in danger. While Mayor McDonough continues business as usual, I see more and more Harrisonians struggling to pay their mortgages which include ever increasing property taxes. Mayor McDonoguh has no thought of cutting anything back. If residents and business owners do not get together, Mayor McDonough and his team will continue business as usual and eventually Harrisonians will have no choice but to walk away from their homes and businesses.
Please attend tonight's council meeting and ask one or two questions. Bring your friends and have them videotape the meeting.
There is also a proposal to have the town videotape the Mayor and Council meeting. That is likely the only thing the Mayor and Council will not find money for.
Thank you for taking the time to care about Harrison and addressing some critical issues that are truly big concerns to our residents and taxpayers.
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