To the editor:
It has come to my attention that Mayor Kevin Kuchinski and Deputy Mayor Julie Blake apparently have each passed a different Hopewell Township budget.
In its June 15, 2018 edition, the Hopewell Valley News reported (Pennington and Hopewell Officials Detail Future Plans for Community) that at the Tuesday, June 12 Mayor’s Breakfast at the Hopewell Valley Golf and Country Club, Kuchinski said he “delivered a tax rate increase of 1.59 percent” in 2018.
In its May 4 edition, the Hopewell Valley News published a Letter to the Editor from Blake (I am proud of our municipal budget) in which she wrote “that our municipal budget in 2018 will be kept to a disciplined and responsible 2.48 percent increase.”
Since Blake wrote that she is proud of her township budget, I can only imagine how much more proud Kuchinski must be of his township budget. But, alas, since the township chief financial officer indicated a 2.48 percent tax increase at the April 23 municipal budget public hearing, Kuchinski’s budget with a 1.59 percent tax increase is simply not true.
Regarding another budget statement at the Mayor’s Breakfast, the aforementioned article reported: “Kuchinski said the redevelopment of Pennytown is in progress.” Like my grandmother’s recipe for chicken soup, which involves first catching the chicken, redevelopment of Pennytown cannot be “in progress” until Pennytown is sold. Selling Pennytown has eluded the mayor during his three years in office.
Finally, regarding debt, Kuchinski’s claim of having stopped “kicking the can down the road,” at the breakfast is also simply not true. The mayor has burdened the township with new debt every year as mayor by borrowing money every year to balance his budget, including $3.3 million in 2018.
Harvey Lester
Titusville