Borough candidates talk budget and downtown

By Davy James, Staff Writer
   JAMESBURG — Candidates for Borough Council say that attracting new businesses to Jamesburg is vital to the success of future municipal budgets.
   Republican Brian Duke, Democrat Daria Ludas and Democrat incumbent and current council President Otto Kostbar are vying for two, three-year seats on the council.
   Ms. Ludas, 59, is a third-grade teacher in Fords and served on the library board of trustees for eight years. She said revitalizing the downtown area is important for generating income in the borough.
   ”We need to try to do some upgrades and attract new businesses and have more non-profit groups come into town for meetings and events,” Ms. Ludas said. “That would generate more business in town.”
   Ms. Ludas said there are obstacles that need to be overcome when putting together a budget due to cuts in state aid. She said that because Jamesburg has a tight budget, all departments in the borough need to be carefully analyzed to maximize efficiency.
   ”I know garbage pickup is one area we’re looking at but, all departments should be looked at,” Ms. Ludas said. “Jamesburg has an older infrastructure and we need to look for grants to maintain our town.”
   Mr. Duke, 36, is the national director of marketing for an engineering and consulting firm in Manalapan. He said the budget is a delicate balance that requires maximizing every dollar spent for the benefit of Jamesburg’s residents. He favors an independent evaluation of all borough spending to determine the best use of tax dollars.
   ”The biggest challenge in putting together a budget is that you have a limited pot of money that you essentially have to keep as low as possible for the residents of Jamesburg while still being able to provide the services required,” Mr. Duke said. “I believe once a thorough evaluation is completed there will be additional areas for savings. Be it in potential shared services or renegotiations of contracts, there are a number of areas that need to be looked at. But there’s not a flip of the switch solution, it’s going to take time and effort.”
   Mr. Duke believes the downtown area is key to bringing more revenue and rateables, by attracting more businesses and fostering a thriving commercial district.
   ”We need to look at storefronts that are closed or help other storefronts understand through education programs or incentive programs so there aren’t any eyesores and we get the area to thrive,” Mr. Duke said. “This will help generate revenues to bring down the overall burden. There is potential for redevelopment throughout the town’s structures and businesses and they’ll benefit from a redevelopment program that will also entice new businesses to the borough.”
   Mr. Kostbar, 58, is an attorney who has served on the council for three and one half terms. He said the council looks to save money in every area possible but rising costs make efficient budgets a challenge.
   ”We’re constantly getting state mandates to spend money on something without getting the proper funding to pay for it,” Mr. Kostbar said. “With rising costs in health insurance, fuel, utilities and pensions we pinch pennies anyway we can.”
   Mr. Kostbar said the council will continue to look for interlocal agreements if they make sense and the borough has been successful with capital grant programs. He said there are four main areas of spending — police, public works, fire and garbage service. He said trimming costs leads to a deficiency of service.
   Mr. Kostbar said that with Jamesburg fully built up, the borough needs to look into attracting new businesses into existing space, as with CVS and local banks.
   ”We cut some red tape to make it easier for new businesses to come in and there are some older buildings in town that we have a lot of interest from businesses for,” Mr. Kostbar said. “I’d like to see some older properties replaced with new businesses that will not only increase rateables but bring important commercial services into town. We want to make it more convenient to shop in town and get the services we need, not only to improve rateables but also improve the quality of life in Jamesburg.”