Officials faced difficult choices in developing a budget

For a number of years, I shared the responsibility of preparing the Freehold Township municipal budget. It was a collective process between administration and the governing body, and when done properly, it was an amazing balance between the needs expressed by the public and the money available to satisfy those needs.

Unfortunately, it seemed there was always a greater need for programs and a lesser availability of funds, but the result was spending compromises that made Freehold Township a beacon of good municipal management in the county and the state.

This year, when I saw what the state of New Jersey was doing to municipal budgets, I was very concerned over what the township had to do to meet its mandated spending.

The 2008 budget was the most difficult they had to face in decades because of massive cuts in state aid ($1.38 million) and declining local revenues ($730,731) due to the economy.

After intensive reviews they produced a document that preserved the essential tax base while minimizing the additional tax burden that homeowners would face. To achieve that result, some good employees lost their positions and some important programs had to be eliminated.

As a former mayor, I rarely comment on actions taken by my successors. In this case I had a more intimate knowledge of how hard their task was and I have to speak. I want to thank the administrative staff and the governing body for doing a great job and for protecting all of us homeowners in Freehold Township.
Arthur R. Kondrup
Freehold Township