Edgewater Park Pay to Play- See why Your Taxes Are Going Up

The following are some of the Elect Reports from 2003, 2006 and 2007 showing who made contributions to our currently elected township committee members, how much. These are not the final reports showing all contributions for that election, but you can get this information from the NJ Election Law Commission Web Site

After reading this post, ask our elected Township Committee Members how many sporting events they have attended that were paid for by the Engineering Firms who donated to their campaign. How many dinners did they receive free tickets for, from the Professionals who also donated to their campaign.

Now you know why engineering jobs cost so much, and why the firms who have screwed up projects they were responsible for, still get reappointed each year.

Read these reports and weep.

The Edgewater Park Reporter

 

Edgewater Park Municipal Tax Increase 1999-2007 66.3%

This Chart Shows Why Your Tax Bill Is Out of Control and The lousy Job Done By Township Committee Since 2000. 

Just click on the Chart to enlarge it 

Why Do You Keep Electing Them????

Do You Like The Tax Increases????

Send a message now; We're mad as hell and we are not going to take it anymore. Get control of the township budget or be retired in November.

The 2008 budget is under consideration now behind closed doors. Help to convince the Township Committee, to bring the budget discussion into the open, for all residents to see and hear. Who knows the Committee may get some good ideas from the public. 

This Township Committee and the Administrator, historically have not discussed any budgets in public. They do not want the public to know how the budgets are arrived at. If you doubt me, just ask anyone who has tried to ask the committee budget questions during past budget hearings. Committee seems to except the numbers given to them by the Administrator for their approval without question. You never hear any members of the committee, asking questions about the increases of each departments requested budgets. All you hear from them are excuses as to why they (Committee) can't do anything, but committee will blame everyone else, the Feds, the State, the Pension, employee contracts, the Storm, and of course the last Committee (2003) who cut your local taxes. 

In tomorrow's blog post, I will show you one reason why your taxes are increasing so much. Stay tuned.

The Edgewater Park Reporter

 

Edgewater Park Taxes

What Me Worry

I love the comment that I received today, about how the taxes in Edgewater Park are reasonable compared to Moorestown or Delran.

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

Edgewater Park Taxes High? This is why (see chart below)

Edgewater Park Nerve

Looks like I struck a nerve with the last couple of posts. I was trying to point out, the inconsistency of Edgewater Park Township's code enforcement, and the abuse of power by some of our Township Officials.

I know that many of you reading this blog, have very busy lives and that between your job, kids, and the many other items you deal with day in and day out, you find it difficult to stay on top of what your elected officials are up to.

I ask that if there are issues you would like me to look into, please email them to me at; edgewaterparkreporter@yahoo.com. Don't be shy.

Taxes, Taxes, Taxes, is probably the main concern.

Please remember that our local municipal tax rate is the responsibility of the five elected members of Township Committee. They are the only ones that can effect a change in the tax increases we have experienced in the past 4 years. No one else is to blame.

The scary thing about this year is what the State is planning to do to small communities (under 10K) like Edgewater Park. If you have read any of the papers in the past week you know that State Aid Funding is to be cut to small towns as well as State School Aid. In today's BCT the paper stated that Edgewater Park Municipal Aid will be cut 27.1% from last year, so hold on to your wallet. You couple this with the irresponsible budget management done by our township committee, and you have the formula for a unavoidable large property tax increase this year.

I can hear you asking the following; What can I do about it, Nothing changes? Well, you can do something. You need to make sure you vote in the School Bd election. The school budget will be on the ballot to vote on.

You can't vote on the Municipal Budget, but you can vote out of office, 2 of those responsible (Pullion & Daly), this November.

You need to attend the budget hearings, so you can ask questions about the budget and ask why the cost for certain budget lines items, are increasing at a rate much greater then the rate of inflation.

The tax issue is not about what party controls Township Committee, but how this committee has dealt with the past municipal budgets, and tax increases. After looking at their record you can only conclude they have done a lousy job, except for Kevin Johnson (just elected in Nov).

I will stay on top of both School and Municipal Budgets and keep you informed.

Just remember, if the township committee announces that they will be opening The Cooper Street Zoo, as a way to lower taxes, you heard it here first.

The Edgewater Park Reporter

Correction !

I incorrectly reported that the State was cutting aid to our school district by 27%. The State is not cutting school aid but increasing the state aid by 10% ($608K). The state is cutting municipal state aid by 27%. I appoligize for any missconceptions this may have caused. The post above has been corrected.

The Edgewater Park Reporter 3/7/08

Guest Post "Carol Moore 2-20-08 email RE: Memorial Field you have on your blog page""

"Dear E.P. Reporter. I think you are doing a fine job. Perhaps a better job than the editor of the Beverly Bee, which often seems "stifled" by the involvement of City/township politics. It is in deed a great service to the community, in making people "wake up" and "get out to meetings", which would be good for everyone.

Since I notice a photograph of the Memorial Field Monument on your blog, I thought perhaps that you didn't know what you were actually looking at, and so I have attached a file which will tell you of the 'History of Memorial Field and it's 'J.O.U.A.M. Passing The Torch Of Freedom' monument, that will soon be decorated with red, white and blue, like is is every year.

Enjoy.

Carol Moore, Whitebriar & owner of the Cooper Street Farm

PS.  Thanks also for the idea about the Cooper Street Farm. We've always nick named it's 'Moore's Home for wayward Farm Animals'. Since the Properties at 1028-1029 are 'grandfathered' as 'farm land', animals are acceptible, but we still have to fill out a form each year listing all animals, for the Board of Health, who monitors these events. Since towns can't afford to send 'injured animals' to a vet clinic, we have serviced them with horses that wonder into Beverly & Delanco, and Wild turkey's that get hit in Edgewater Park, for Free. That keeps the animals healthy and taxes down.

I thank you also, if you would tell the folks who are bringing food to the animals 'Thank YOU' in this time of crisis. It appears that the 'corn' which is our basis of food, is being used for Ethanol(gasoline) thus 'supply and demand', making the price of feed to 700% on the pelleted foods for these animals. Add that to the fact that the summer of 2007 drought limited the growth of 'hay' supplies, and the diminished supply is now 'evaporated', until the first week of May, when the spring cutting will be done.

Thank the folks from the 'Pizza Deli' on Cooper Street, who have allowed me to keep a 'clean trash can' there for the animals who enjoy the burnt pizza, and trimmings as a treat to supplement their 'pelleted menu'. Also let me thank the individual 'families' who keep a double grocery bag in the bottom of their refrigerator, and dump all the left overs from dinner (pasta, veges, meat, ect.) and then at the end of the week they drop them over the fence as a 'treat' for the animals. The local grocery stores are sharing their 'left over-trimmings' from the produce department with our 'home for Wayward Farm Animals', and we thank them for helping us fill the gap in 'supply' thru February, March and April. Keep those food stuffs coming. The only food they don't eat is onions and citrus. Everything else, cooked, and uncooked, is welcome. Just toss it over the fence, but don't feed them your fingers. N.J. Law protects all 'farms' that have 'animals' from lawsuits, and a State sign is posted to that effect."

I received this Post from Carol Moore on February 20, 2008. I hope you read it and send in your comments.

The Edgewater Park Reporter

 

Township Of Edgewater Park Work Session Tuesday 3/4/08 7 PM

I hope everyone had a good weekend and I am glad we dodged the Snow predicted for last Friday night. 

If you get a chance, check out the new sign on the Cooper St. farm house. I also loved the message on the mobil sign. Guess who is reading the blog. Organic eggs are still on sale. I wonder who regulates the selling of organic eggs?  

It does my hart glad to see our code enforcement officials hard at work.

I guess the Township re-zoned the block between Green St. and Hendrickson Ave. for Commercial Business. That must be the reason for Township Committee pushing to move the Fire Commission and allegedly (according to the Mayor) the Sewer Authority to the Water Company House on Cooper St. 

I wonder if the township is planning to take some of the farm for parking, or could the Committee be planning to have a municipal zoo at the farm?  

The Township Committee could use the open space tax they have been collecting for the past 7 years to buy it. This must be what the future  revitalization plan for Cooper St. is all about. Just think, our own Disney like theme park on Cooper Street. We already have the "Historic Dunks Ferry Inn", or is that two "Historic Dunks Ferry Inn's". I can't keep track of them. 

We could have a monorail running from Historic Dunks Ferry (Beverly for you less enlightened folks) to the Light Rail Station and then on to the Zoo (see photo in 1/30/08 Post) where the visitors could blend in with Zoo animals.

John Alexander and Committeeman Tom Pullion could use the Historic Dunks Ferry Inn for the catering business. 

Our Mayor could be the "Lunch Lady" at the Historic Dunks Ferry Inn (think of the memories for the past students of Magowan School). 

Our Administrator/Clerk (maybe soon to be Business Administrator CFO) could do ticket sales and keep the books. 

Committeeman Daly would be Zoo Security (he has connections with the State Police and the IRA). 

If John isn't to busy in Burlington City, he could also do the Public Relations. Committeewoman Atzert could sell t-shirts and the Concessions (If the Administrator lets her). Finally, Committeeman Johnson who, because he is nice person, will get the job to clean up the shi----t.    

Just think of the money the Township could make, and how it could reduce our taxes. What a vision for our town, and with the 350 new homes Committeeman Daly said are coming, the zoo wouldn't lack for customers, or exhibits.

Well just a thought,

The Edgewater Park Reporter