MARLBORO — After being sworn in to begin serving his second four-year term as Marlboro’s mayor, Jonathan Hornik discussed his plans for success in the new year in front of a packed Town Hall meeting room at the Jan. 5 reorganization meeting of the municipal government.
Despite difficult economic times, plans to better Marlboro’s financial situation while still providing residents with strong municipal services and programs are in the works, Hornik said.
“(The poor economy) will necessitate restructuring of our local government so that we can continue to provide high-quality services for our residents in a cost-effective manner,” Hornik said. “… We have no choice but to continue to adapt to this new reality and deliver a smarter government to the residents of this great community.”
Like many residents who had to tighten their belts because of the struggling economy, the township must do the same, Hornik said.
Hornik said the 2012 municipal budget will be equal to or less than Marlboro’s 2007 budget of $32.6 million.
Although the 2009, 2010 and 2011 budgets remained relatively flat, if the township reaches its goal for 2012, it would be the lowest budget in several years, he said .
Township officials will scrutinize every tax dollar spent on behalf of residents, Hornik said. Municipal departments will be examined and, if deemed necessary, consolidated to better serve residents.
“No one understands better than I that change can sometimes be difficult, uncomfortable and undesirable,” Hornik told those in attendance. “However, make no mistake, change in these times is necessary, so we will change.”
Outside of cutting spending, the township is working to attract new commercial ratables to increase revenue, Hornik said. The Economic Development Committee and other initiatives play pivotal roles in bringing new businesses to town, he told those in attendance.
The gloomy economy did not stifle Hornik’s aspirations to better the quality of life for Marlboro residents.
Lower real estate prices will benefit residents in at least one way, said Hornik, who is a lifelong resident of Marlboro and whose late father, Saul, served three terms as mayor from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. He said officials will be in a better position to purchase land for open space in the upcoming years.
“It is my intention to aggressively continue to preserve open space in Marlboro to the maximum extent possible, in order to continue to maintain the character of our town,” Hornik said.
He then mentioned the town’s recent successful drive to develop a plan to return the Route 520 property formerly used by the Marlboro State Psychiatric Hospital to open space.
Residents and members of the government will also continue to make Marlboro a more environmentally sustainable town, Hornik said. He said thousands of shade trees have been planted in the community in recent years, and said the town will remain on the “green” path.
Among plans to strengthen recreational and senior programs, Hornik said he aims to add a new element to the town’s athletic programs.
“It is time that Marlboro had an indoor sports facility that is the envy of all those in Monmouth County, and we are going to focus our efforts on achieving this goal over the next few years,” the mayor said.
He said events like the Memorial Day parade, the Mayor’s Ball and the Halloween parade will continue to play parts in building a tight-knit community.
Acelebration of Marlboro’s diverse residents and their different cultures will also take place throughout the mayor’s second term, he said.
The township recently signed a sister city relationship with Wujiang, China, and officials hope to build similar arrangements in the future, Councilman Frank LaRocca said.
“We have had a charge to embrace our cultural diversity,” LaRocca said. “… Exchanging cultural ideas is helpful to the residents of Marlboro and it doesn’t cost anything.”
Hornik, LaRocca and Councilwoman Randi Marder were sworn in at the meeting, after running successful bids for re-election in the fall.