To the editor:
As an elected official, I strongly believe, as do my Republican colleagues on the Township Committee, that strong fiscal stewardship of your tax dollars is a key element of our responsibilities. We have consistently striven to maintain the excellent financial condition of our municipality and have focused our efforts on keeping municipal spending low and limiting our debt burden.
Deputy Mayor Greg Burchette and Committeeman Carl Suraci, by leading our budget committee this year, have been instrumental in ensuring Hillsborough’s financial health.
I believe that our team has been extremely successful in our fiscal stewardship. However, you don’t need to take my word for it. Standard & Poor’s (S&P), a premier municipal credit rating agency, has validated the actions of our Republican leadership, by raising Hillsborough’s credit rating by 2 notches, to a rating of AA+ during 2014.
Their rationale for the credit rating was summarized by a quote in their rating assessment, “The stable outlook reflects our view of the township’s consistent financial performance and economy, which is supported by standard management practices. This rating is further supported by the township’s very strong liquidity, strong budget flexibility, and adequate budgetary performance.”
In addition, earlier this year, Money Magazine again rated Hillsborough as “one of the best places to live in America,” ranking Hillsborough as number 30 on its overall list of the entire country. It should be noted that Hillsborough was the only New Jersey town on the best places to live list and as one would expect, a ranking from Money Magazine is clearly driven by financial strength. The quality facilities we provide while keeping taxes down was a key driver in the ranking. This represents the fourth time, all under Republican leadership, that Hillsborough has been on Money Magazine’s best places to live list.
Why do independent, respected third-party sources continue to provide very positive assessments of Hillsborough? The proof is in the numbers. This year, for the fifth year in a row, the municipal budget came in under the mandatory 2 percent cap and, as has been our practice, we once again refused to take any allowable exceptions, thereby ensuring we stay below the 2 percent cap.
Your Republican-led Township Committee has worked diligently to run local government in a business-like fashion, while prudently watching how every tax dollar is spent. Deputy Mayor Greg Burchette and Committeeman Carl Suraci have been at the forefront of the budget process and driving our fiscal approach in 2015. Standard & Poor’s and Money Magazine clearly agree that Hillsborough is very financially strong and well-run municipality.
I will be supporting Greg Burchette and Carl Suraci for re-election on Election Day, Nov. 3. If you would like Hillsborough to continue to be run with fiscal prudence and discipline as key governing principles, I urge you to support them as well.
Frank DelCore
Township Committeeman
Hillsborough
