MANVILLE: Councilman talks about town budget

To the editor:
   At our last council meeting Mayor Corradino challenged me on how to reduce property taxes in my hometown but yet he refused to put me on the finance committee charged with developing the municipal budget. I guess he feared my 31 years of experience in the private sector working in corporate finance departments where tough decisions are made to cut budgets in order to maintain profitability, especially with declining revenues.
   I know some things we shouldn’t be doing at this time in Manville as our tax revenues decline. Things like hiring additional full-time employees, increasing our head count and salary expenses in addition to making higher payments into the bankrupt New Jersey health and pension plans. Two parttime employees were recently replaced with more expensive fulltime employees at an approximate cost of over $60,000 more annually.
   Things like buying new vehicles and issuing bonds, which increase our debt payments, won’t make our property taxes decrease. Things like having the worst property resale values in Somerset County due to flooding, which opens the door for successful tax appeals again this year. We lost well over $1 million in tax appeal revenues since 2010, which directly results in everyone having to pay more when others pay less.
   One would think the thought of 165 homes being knocked down this year with the loss of yet another million dollars in tax revenues would have had some effect on how Manville Democrats think however it is simply business as usual in Manville. Our mayor justifies spending taxpayers funds as “just another 10 bucks a month.” I would like to remind him that New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the nation. He has yet to present any plan to lower taxes in Manville.
   I have participated in prior contract negotiations for our borough. We have a contract in place with the lowest percentages of salary increases in the recent history of our borough. Borough employees are now asked to contribute more toward funding their ever-increasing health care costs, resulting in a nice taxpayers’ savings yet taxes in town continue to escalate.
   As we continue to lose significant tax revenues now and in the future with additional buyouts planned and for the Democrats and our mayor to vote against applying for extraordinary state aid as a “flood town,” it is not the proper leadership we need. They were afraid to apply for aid since it would fix bad policies and curtail out-of-control spending in Manville by using state economic oversight. Any aid received would have saved you future tax dollars but you will continue to pay more unless we change course.
   Asking Manville residents to always pay more and more as some residents on fixed incomes struggle to put food on their tables when they don’t have the extra 10 bucks a month to spare is sad. It will take strong leadership and much belt-tightening in Manville to turn ever-increasing property taxes around. I bet Governor Christie would applaud my efforts as I try to offer lower property taxes where everyone benefits regardless if one appeals their home’s assessed value or not.
   You know your hometown is in trouble when your elected mayor continues to spend, hire and bond at will and yet get his own property taxes lowered via the appeal process. What’s the big deal if it is just another 10 bucks a month? The majority of residents want lower property taxes as seen by so many tax appeals filed. The Republicans on council hear you loud and clear!
   Our last Republican mayor had a hiring freeze in effect. It’s time for another freeze but the elected Democrats on council will not support it. They are even in favor of ignoring a long-standing nepotism policy for more hiring to occur. The Democrats even approved of this additional hiring before the 2014 budget cycle was completed with no regard to its effect on our future property tax bills. Why? Because they feel they can just simply raise your property taxes to cover the additional costs and they will continue to act in this manner.
   Please help the Manville Republicans end this craziness this November. With four Republicans on council, we will work to put your best interests first. I guarantee it!
Richard M. Onderko
Borough Councilman
Manville