Mayor, committee anticipating budget challenges in 2011
By Stephanie Vaccaro, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY It’s time to do more with less that was the common thread of the remarks made at the Montgomery Township Committee reorganization meeting on Monday.
As expected, Mayor Mark Caliguire was re-elected, as was Deputy Mayor Kacey Dyer. And Ed Trzaska and Patricia Graham were sworn in after having won election in November.
”These are certainly interesting times to be an elected official in New Jersey, to say the least,” Mayor Caliguire said to a half-filled courtroom. “Last year when I was elected mayor, I said that because of the magnitude of the budget problems we face in New Jersey that business as usual will just not be sufficient to address these problems. I also said that we should not accept the notion that living in New Jersey means skyrocketing prices. We actually cut spending in 2010 and we cut municipal property taxes.
”But things aren’t going to get any easier any time soon,” Mayor Caliguire said. “We’re working on a plan to actually cut our spending again because revenues are down and tax collections are down.
”We have a responsibility to our residents to not only keep our taxes down but to balance that goal with the responsibility for ensuring their safety as well,” Mayor Caliguire said. “And so, that’s why I continue to be a proponent for standard, regionalized services that make sense. Consolidations that don’t compromise public health and safety one bit, and they don’t, in any way, cede our home rule when it comes to land use.”
”We’re just going to have to think out of the box,” Mayor Caliguire said.
Deputy Mayor Dyer echoed these sentiments. “As the mayor stated, we are up against some extreme financial constraints this year. I’m confident this team will rise to the challenge of doing more with less.”
”We will struggle continue to cut to spending,” said Ms. Graham. “Our revenues are down, but we simply must hold the line on taxes. Not only township government is in a fiscal crisis, but many township residents as well. We all know of widespread unemployment and underemployment. We have homes in Montgomery in foreclosure. We simply must respect the will of the voters who have repeatedly demanded that they will not stand for higher taxes.”
”We must continue to aggressively preserve open space and protect ourselves against harmful state mandates, like COAH,” Mr. Trzaska said. “A lot is at stake. The next three to five years will likely determine what type of character Montgomery is destined to have for generations to come.”
”I was reminded last year that the people of Montgomery are too smart, too involved, and too invested to be motivated by fear,” Mr. Carter said. “Throughout the year you were able to view both sides of each story, decipher them for yourselves, and make good and strong decisions. In the end it was clear that you did not want to hear excuses or blame, you did not want to be scared into action, you would not be motivated by fear or division.”
House of Representatives member Leonard Lance (R-7) made an appearance, happy to see that the township council is now 100 percent Republican.
”I hope 2011 will bring back a restoration of prosperity,” he said.

