Mayor states displeasure with looming cut in aid

BY KATHY BARATTA Staff Writer

MANALAPAN- After being informed by state officials that Manalapan’s net reduction in state aid for 2008 would amount to $376,823, Mayor Michelle Roth decided to go to Trenton to share something of hers that was in surplus – her anger and dismay over the cash cut.

According to Manalapan officials, Gov. Jon Corzine has proposed cutting aid to New Jersey municipalities by a total of $190 million this year.

Roth went to Trenton recently to participate in a state budget briefing on Consolidated Municipal Property Tax Relieve Act cuts. The mayor was joined by TownshipAdministrator Tara Lovrich, Chief Financial Officer TriciaAddario and Deputy Mayor Susan Cohen.

Roth said the briefing was hosted by Corzine, Acting State Treasurer David Rousseau, Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Joseph Doria and other Garden Sate decision makers.

She said that following a brief speech by Corzine about how difficult developing the state’s 2008 budget has proven to be, the governor invited suggestions and comments from the floor on how the situation could be improved. The governor has proposed a $33 billion budget that, by law, must be approved by the Legislature by July 1.

Roth said she took the opportunity to step up to the microphone. She said she told Corzine and those assembled that Manalapan officials have already put into place many of the suggestions that are now being recommended by state representatives.

She said Corzine spoke about the importance of towns initiating shared services agreements and noted that Manalapan already has shared services agreements in place with local school boards and with Marlboro, Freehold Township and Freehold Borough.

The mayor said she also pointed out thatManalapan had recently entered into a joint energy audit with the local schools and with theWesternMonmouth Utilities Authority in an effort to identify ways in which money can be saved on utility bills.

Roth said she explained how municipal officials made a "difficult decision" in 2007 to raise taxes while simultaneously cutting more than $1 million in expenses from Manalapan’s operating budget.

She said told Corzine, "This was necessary in order to undue the damage that was done by the irresponsible (municipal) budgets that were passed in 2005 and 2006." Roth said she went on to explain to the governor that "our goal is to try to preserve services to our residents and maintain our infrastructure while operating as efficiently as possible. The cuts in state aid to municipalities are making that impossible."

Roth said she told Corzine that "the municipal budget cuts we made in 2007 eliminated as much spending as possible while keeping our services intact.Any further cuts of this magnitude would start to affect services to residents."

The mayor said she suggested two ways she believes Trenton can improve the situation for municipalities. One of those suggestions is giving tighter guidelines to arbitrators who are called in when union negotiations break down.

Roth said she told the governor, "You have limited property tax increases to 4 percent, yet your arbitrators are settling at 4 percent wage increases. When we are faced with double-digit increases in utility costs and significant increases in pension funding and health care expenses, to name a few, it is impossible to meet the 4 percent limit. You cannot let this continue."

Roth, who is a Democrat, said she also criticized the Democratic governor over the state’s purchasing requirements.

She said she told Corzine, "We don’t get the best pricing on equipment this way. As an example, we had outdoor field lighting donated for one of the baseball fields in our park by a local sports group. They paid $15,000 less for the same lights that we had planned to buy. Their costs were less because they were not a municipality and they did not have the same restrictions placed upon them when it came to vendors. Something is dreadfully wrong with this system."

Roth said when she stated her comments and suggestions to the governor it made no difference that she and Corzine are both Democrats.

"It was the people of Manalapan I was elected to represent, not the members of the Democratic Party, and I think he recognized that," she said.