Author: hankkalet

South Brunswick has been on a spending spree over the last half dozen years, its budget growing by a total of $9.1 million since 2001 with a commensurate decrease in the size of its surplus. It has, as our editorial says this week, been spending its savings.

Some suggestions:

That’s why it is imperative that the council and the township manager find ways to save money now. First, the council should make it clear to the township manager, who under this form of government is responsible for formulating and executing the budget, that it will not approve next year’s spending plan if it includes a spending increase.

Second, Township Manager Matt Watkins should direct each department to keep its spending to no more than 90 percent of what has been budgeted. That would help regenerate the surplus while also setting a lower spending bar for next year’s budget.

Third, the council should begin a full review of township spending now, months before a budget will be needed. This would make it easier to sift through the various programs, to determine which qualify as “needs” and which as “wants,” allowing the council to better set spending priorities.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

This week’s Dispatches column on the need to streamline New Jersey government. Here are some other perspectives, from stories in the Monroe and Cranbury editions of The Cranbury Press.

And a response to the Monroe story:

Dear Editor,

Why does it not surprise me that everyone of the parties interviewed for the story on municipal consolidation in the August 4 edition of The Cranbury Press is opposed? They all have something to lose by consolidation — power and influence or money or both. They may claim to be looking after the interests of their communities, but I firmly believe that what we are hearing is self-interest.

A more important question may be, “Why did the reporter not interview people outside the power structure who would truly gain if staffs were reduced?” They are the people who will gain from consolidation. Who needs two police chiefs, two library directors, two library buildings, two mayors, two….(fill in the unnecessary duplicates of your choice)?

John Zoeller
Monroe

A fair question that I promise will be answered in future stories.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

The South Brunswick Division of Social Services is looking for backpacks. Read the story for more.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

A local libertarian who comments periodically on posts to Channel Surfing has offered a critique of open space taxes on The Blog of South Brunswick. It is an interesting approach, though I couldn’t disagree more with his reasoning.

Basically, he views the taxman, to use George Harrison’s word, as a thief and government in general as an imposition. Open space is a good thing, he agrees, but he believes it should be funded privately.

This assumes that all potential land buyers are equal. They’re not. Developers have deep pockets and citizens, even large groups of citizens, do not have the kind of cash that would be needed to target and then outbid developers for land.

That’s why citizens turn to their local, county and state governments to intercede.

As a general rule, I distrust large accumulations of power. But there is a difference between elected government and a corporation. The government — at least in the United States — derives its power from the citizens. Corporations do not.

That makes government the equalizer, the leveller, protecting individuals against corporate abuses.

Where things get distorted, however, is when elected officials view themselves as accountable not to voters, but to campaign contributors — but that is a subject for another day.

In the case of government-preserved open space, it is the power of local, county and state governments to raise money and then spend it that offsets the ability of developers to dig into their own deep pockets. This allows citizens to compete for undeveloped land and — maybe, just maybe — keep some of it green and untouched.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

The Inter Press Service, an international press agency that appears to tilt some to the left, offers this story on the Bush administration’s approach to the Lebanon crisis. The gist is that the administration has taken sides, offering some humanitarian aid while also contributing to the conflict’s continuance.

IPS also offers this analysis, explaining how the conflict in Lebanon and the war in Iraq are eroding American credibility and isolating moderate Arab governments, emboldening groups like Hezbollah.

Not a pretty picture, to say the least.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick