I have been reading in the papers about residents losing their homes because of redevelopment — replacing their homes with more expensive homes. Our elected officials are telling us redevelopment will lower our taxes. I believe there are many questions that need to be answered by our elected officials before anyone can draw a conclusion:
• What is being done about existing road congestion, namely Cedar Avenue at Route 36 (Joline Avenue)? What will it be like after redevelopment?
• How much financial assistance (tax dollars) has the city given to the developers so far?
• How much city-owned land has the city donated to the developers?
• How much city-owned land has the city sold to the developer? And, for how much?
• Why does the developer continue to get more contracts in Long Branch even when he was indicted in Hudson County for paying off public officials to get contracts for development?
• Three years ago (2000), the city was in debt for $15 million. Today, we are in debt for approximately $60 million for loans — plus interest. Why so much?
• If this redevelopment continues, will we need to hire more police, firemen, sanitation men and code officials, and buy more equipment? Garbage costs are going to rise and so will our sewerage bills. Will this lower our taxes?
• How many more children will be entering our school system costing the taxpayer $10,000 per child? Will this lower our taxes?
• How much have the engineers, attorneys and planners been paid so far, since the beginning of the redevelopment?
I would like the elected officials to give the Long Branch residents answers to these questions so we can determine if you are putting us in such debt that we will never have our taxes lowered — and especially that the developer is not controlling our elected officials, thereby giving him whatever he needs.
Bill McLaughlin
Long Branch