What Me Worry
How can you even compare Edgewater Park to either town. The number of families that have moved to Delran from Edgewater Park is quite large and includes three ex- township committee members along with their families. There even is a rumor going around the school that Committeeman Daly's son is saying that they are moving to Delran.
Why are long time Edgewater Park families moving out of town? Could it be they are not happy with the direction and the quality of life of our town. These are issues that are so important to raising a family. When families can, they vote with their feet, and have done so in great numbers. Look at the turnover in our town. There was a time when the children of the families who moved here in the 50s, 60s and 70s, stayed or moved back to raise their own families. You don't see that happening now to the extent you used to. I blame the township committee and tax increases along with concerns with the school district as the reasons.
Wait and see how much your taxes increase with the non essential spending our township administration and committee have done over the past 3 years. The amount being borrowed (Bonds) will have an impact on the taxes also. Remember how Mayor Hall talked about "The Mortgage" when she was running for re-election? She was referring to the 2003 Committee who lowered taxes, and the low interest bond they adopted, that combined several bond anticipation notes along with the cost for purchasing the 2 properties that were slated to have apartments and townhouses built on them. Mayor Hall was very critical of this decision. Well check out how much borrowing has been done since 2003. It will gag you.
I think if most families in the development part of town had a choice, they would move to Moorestown or Delran.
You need to get involved in letting the Township Committee know, your are going to hold them responsible for their spending and tax increases.
The Edgewater Park Reporter
4 comments:
This is in response to Anonymous' post to the last blog.
I can't believe anonymous is even comparing Edgewater Park to Moorestown or Delran. Sure their taxes might be higher than Edgewater's but look at what you get for those taxes. Both towns have a MUCH better school system and just ride around each town and look at how inviting Moorestown and Delran are. I don't think the same can be said for Edgewater.
As for the Edgewater Park Reporter's comment about children of families who grew up in Edgewater back in the 50's, 60's & 70's and then they decided to raise their families here in town, I have to agree that their children are now deciding against that and moving out. I know because I'm one of those children who grew up in Edgewater but once I became married couldn't wait to move out and did so for a better quality of life. I can tell you first hand too that I'm in a township with high taxes but a good school system, improvements taking place, and a nice town to live and raise my children in. It's sad but my generation has moved out of Edgewater Park and most of us when we were children loved growing up in Edgewater. Too much has just changed and the town is going in the wrong direction. I feel I can say these things because I did grow up in Edgewater and have seen how the town has changed not for the better but for the worse.
As the Edgewater Park reporter pointed out, why are so many families leaving Edgewater? Even ex-council members and their families. Something must be wrong if the people don't want to stay.
From Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer:
http://tinyurl.com/36pfx6
Editorial: Sharing Services
Merge ahead
It's no coincidence that some of the smallest towns in New Jersey have some of the highest tax burdens.
Hi-Nella borough in Camden County, for example, has 1,029 residents and one of the highest effective local property tax rates in the state, as a percentage of market value - 3.56 percent. The citizens of Woodlynne, population 2,700, suffer from an even higher property-tax burden.
Residents who are fed up with high taxes demanded that Gov. Corzine cut state spending this year. Corzine is trying to oblige them, and his efforts should be applauded. Among his $2.7 billion in proposed budget cuts is $170 million less to small towns like Hi-Nella and Woodlynne.
Corzine's proposed budget would force such small municipalities to merge with larger neighbors. In his plan, towns with populations between 5,000 and 10,000 would lose half of their primary state subsidy; towns under 5,000 would lose nearly all of it.
In Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties, there are 63 municipalities with fewer than 10,000 residents.
The loss of direct state aid would force smaller municipalities either to consolidate; share services like police with larger towns; cut their own budgets severely; or raise property taxes.
Corzine's motives are on the right track. There are 566 municipalities in New Jersey, nearly all with their own mayors, councils, police and fire departments. There are 616 school districts, about two dozen without any students. New Jersey is a home-rule patchwork that creates inefficiencies and contributes to higher costs. Merging towns or sharing services would help keep taxes from rising so rapidly.
But the governor's timetable is unrealistic. It's neither fair nor practical to force local officials to find solutions in the next three months to losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in state aid.
"Somebody's not thinking this through," said Collingswood Mayor Jim Maley. "It's got to be a phaseout, if you're going to do it."
Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D., Gloucester), a member of the Budget Committee, suggests setting a deadline within three to five years for cutting state aid. That would give towns enough time to plan for the lost revenue.
Corzine, in an interview with The Inquirer Editorial Board, said he was open to a more gradual approach, but thought five years was too long.
"That just sounds like more of the same to me," Corzine said. "Not much has been happening on shared services in New Jersey by the volunteer approach. I'd rather get to work on it."
Pennsylvania, too, could benefit from consolidation. It has 2,565 local governments and 501 school districts. A state planning board report in 2006 recommended giving county and local governments more authority to share services.
Local officials in New Jersey argue that they have been sharing services for years, and that the state isn't doing enough to limit costly mandates it imposes on them. But Corzine is correct that consolidation efforts haven't gone far enough. He is proposing a pot of $32 million in grants to encourage towns to merge.
The governor's proposed timing is drastic. But his goal of more consolidation is a move that more towns should pursue.
I was actually saying in that post that you get what you pay for. You want a pretty town and great services your taxes will reflect it. I was born and raised, and still am a resident of Edgewater Park. When I moved out of my parents house, I bought in Edgewater Park because it is still relatively cheap. I was happy with our schools when I went there, and I don't know that they are any worse now. You want to leave, hey thats fine, it's the beauty of America, but I am fine and content with our town (not everything about the town, but the town as a whole). The towns I referred to have much bigger staffs than our town does, and that costs money. For quality of life issues, has our town gotten that bad? I still see all the kids out playing in the neighborhoods just like we did when we were kids (just not in the streets anymore, LOL). The families that make-up the town are changing, and maybe that is what is upsetting and uprooting people, but from where I sit, it is still a good town with good neighbors.
Edgewater Park has suffered for many years because of its failure to establish a Commercial tax base. NJ suffers from the same poor management, or mismanagement as well.
NJ uses one of the highest percentages (if not thee highest) of dependence of state revenue from homeowners. That is why NJ has the highest real estate taxes in the country. The other 49 states have developed other sources of revenue, and don't suffer the misuse & corruption that has plagued NJ for over 100 years. If you want to see the right way to do business, just look at other states (try DE).
Edgewater Park, as with NJ, has a reputation of being unfriendly to businesses. Business people don't want to be ripped-off on top of paying ridiculous fees in this town, when they can build on the other side of RT130 with no hassle. Just look at the development on RT130 in the last three years, and you will understand the problem that "pay to play" tactics causes in a community.
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