By: centraljersey.com
The president of Pennsylvania’s largest teachers’ union asked its members to "seriously consider state Gov. Tom Corbett’s call for them to accept a one-year pay freeze.
James Testerman of the Pennsylvania State Education Association sent a letter to the Pennsylvania union’s local affiliates asking them to discuss a pay freeze and other cost-saving measures with their school boards. He emphasized the union wanted to respond realistically to the worst recession since the Depression.
It is very disappointing to me that our New Jersey educators believe their ships are anchored in some sort of safe harbor. Their denial, audacity and selfishness serve as a poor example to our students and the public-at-large.
New Jersey teachers and administrators must join the rest of us in shared sacrifice.
Local voters would be wise to defeat the school’s budget in the upcoming election.
Myrna Michaelson Lambertville
Yesterday and today
To the editor:
This letter is about the City of Lambertville’s Board of Fire Commissioners.
As a volunteer, and newly elected first lieutenant of the Union Fire Company, I thought I would address the taxpayers of the City of Lambertville with regard to the recent changes and the steps the Board of Fire Commissioners has taken to improve fire services for the residents of Lambertville and the surrounding communities served.
Back in the day, the board took steps to implement policies, procedures and programs it felt were in the best interest of the firefighters. Today we have a board that is making a transition to ensure the safety of the community, by updating the policies and procedures to reflect the necessities driven by the lack of volunteers. This will protect our firefighters, provide sufficient equipment and services, and keep the taxes affordable for the residents of Lambertville in a time when spending is not necessarily the best choice.
I read with great interest the letter prepared by Cynthia (Tillett) Strouse asking the voters to approve the referendum for the purchase of a new CAFS system, and discussing the report of William Flynn, who conducted the study. The study referenced in Ms. Strouse’s letter was not 100 percent accurate. The information provided to Mr. Flynn, by other firefighters of the department, did not account for mutual aid calls of each company. However, Mr. Flynn’s study did bring to light the need for change. It highlighted the need for a qualified chief to lead the department, and included national standards that would apply to a city the size of Lambertville. As a businessperson you depend on studies to help plan for the future, and that is one of the missions the Board of Fire Commissioners is charged with.
The times have changed, and we need to change with them without the fear of a lawsuit around every corner. Just as the old fire alarm has been essentially replaced by pagers, it is time to turn a new stone. The "back-in-the-day" way of selecting the next fire chief is antiquated, and it’s time to select someone based on credentials instead of popularity. We need to use the study for the intents and purposes it was created, and from it prepare a five-year plan.
And a message to all of those who spend Lambertville taxpayers’ money, and threaten lawsuits. If you are not a taxpayer and cannot vote in Lambertville, you have no say in how Lambertville spends its money. Here is a suggestion – Create a Fire District in your own township, one you can control. Stop creating turmoil that’s ultimately dividing our department.
Justin Ege Lambertville
Gov. Christie has the wrong number
To the editor:
Gov. Chris Christie has been complaining about the 4.1 percent 2010 property tax increase from 2009. He blames the Corzine administration because it happened on Gov. Jon Corzine’s watch. But the governor has the wrong number.
The 4.1 percent is the change in the average dollars in property tax paid by homeowners. It is the wrong number. It is wrong because property tax is based on the value of the home. The more valuable the home the higher the total tax dollars within any community. What is important is the tax rate, which is how many dollars are you taxed for every dollar value of your home. If you put an addition on your home the value increases and the dollars you pay in property tax also increase.
What should be considered is the State Tax Rate, or the total dollars collected in taxes divided by the total value of the homes. The state calls this the Current Year Total Tax Rate. During the "Corzine years," this rate dropped from 2.65 percent in 2007 to 2.54 percent in 2010. This is a 4.2 percent decrease in the tax rate.
The governor’s complaining about an increase in average property tax dollars is like the man who gets a $8,000 raise in salary and complains because his income tax payment increases by $500.
We want to thank the teachers of New Jersey who taught us how to think correctly about numbers.
The data can be found at the NJ Community Affairs, division of local government services website http://www.nj.gov/dca/lgs/taxes/taxmenu.shtml#Hist.
Mark and Ruth Nicolich West Amwell

