Resolutions for a better year in 2002
Setting goals for the year is a therapeutic process for many.
It’s a good time to take stock, to gauge where we are and determine where we would like to be in the future.
For many, the turn of the calendar page is the perfect time to resolve to lose weight, quit smoking or cut down on the use of profanity.
For public agencies and other organizations, the new year offers the same opportunities to set agendas and rethink goals. The Post asked an assortment of local groups to set their agenda for the new year and has reported on those goals last week and this week.
Here, we offer our suggestions for what public agencies, local organizations and our readers should focus on in 2002.
Boost open space purchases: The township with help from Middlesex County has done a solid job in buying and preserving property, taking about 700 acres out of the development stream.
More can be done, however. We agree with the township Open Space Task Force that it’s time to expand the Open Space Trust Fund’s buying power by increasing the amount of money it raises. The township currently raises 2 cents for every $100 of assessed valuation in property taxes for the fund; we think the tax rate should be raised at least a penny, which would bring an additional $300,000 into the fund annually.
In addition, the township should expand its use of the state farmland preservation program and consider offering above-market prices for land to encourage land owners to preserve their property.
Democrats and Republicans should agree to spending caps during this year’s campaign. The two sides have been on an incredible spending spree over the last five years, with the cost of the 2000 election topping $150,000 total. This is an astronomical amount that does little more than distance local politicians from their constituents and create the impression that South Brunswick government is for sale. The two sides need to sit down now, well before candidates are selected for the November Township Council race, and hash out an agreement that will put a stop to this escalating war of cash.
Kick off a campaign to keep the township food pantry flush with food, similar to the one proposed this week by letter writer Gil Gordon of Monmouth Junction.
He suggests embarking on a "One Can" campaign in which residents buy an extra can of food or other needed items each time they head to the supermarket to be given to the township food pantry.
A campaign such as this might result in more food being donated than the pantry can handle, but that’s OK. Any extra food could be shared with the Middlesex County FOODS program, thereby helping the needy elsewhere in the county.
NJ Transit should shut down its plans for a Lakehurst-to-Monmouth Junction rail line. It’s time the transportation agency realizes the rail line is too expensive and better alternatives exist.
The N.J. Turnpike Authority should kill Route 92. Enough is enough. The four-lane toll road is a boondoggle waiting to happen, a 6.7-mile driveway for the local business community that will do little to alleviate traffic in South Brunswick.