Dear Resident:

As your Mayor, I am responsible for a municipal budget representing approximately 15% of the local property tax bill.  This budget funds numerous services including police, recycling, snow removal and park and road improvements.  While my administration prides itself on providing the highest quality services as cost effectively as possible, we also recognize that extraordinary measures are required in times such as these.  Yet, through new mandates, restrictions and shirking its responsibilities, the State leaves us with less and less control over our own budget.

As you are aware, Marlboro’s 2009 budget reduced spending by almost 5% over the 2008 budget.  Dramatic steps were taken to reduce the Township payroll including the elimination of positions and furloughs that led to a 2009 budget reduction of roughly $1.5 million.

This year, 2010, offers its own set of challenges.  The State has required that our budget reflect a cut in State Aid of 24% or almost $700,000. As a point of reference, the State has reduced local aid to Marlboro by more than $1.1 million over the past three years.  Additionally, the Township’s 2010 bill from the State Health Benefits Plan increased by $250,000, and the State Division of Pensions bill increased by more than $1.3 million.  It is interesting to note that at the same time the State is imposing a 104% increase in Marlboro’s pension costs, it is once again deferring its own payment into the pension system!

Aside from cuts in State aid and increases in State-mandated costs, this winter’s punishing snowstorms and weaknesses in the state and national economies have imposed additional fiscal burdens. Snow removal costs increased almost $400,000 and the Township faced almost five times the number of tax appeals as it had in 2009.

We continue the trend of reducing actual operating expenses. Township Offices remain on a four day work week and we have expanded our efforts to “Do More With Less.”  In late 2009, we received a green light from the State to proceed with the dissolution of the Marlboro Township Municipal Utilities Authority.  Within six weeks we had reissued the Authority’s outstanding debt to free up millions of dollars in reserved funds that will be used for tax relief and rate stabilization. We also anticipate the savings of some $700,000 per year through the consolidation of services between the municipality and the newly formed Township Water Utility. 

We have made numerous changes in both the civilian and uniformed workforce. The hiring of new professionals in the Finance area has resulted better utilization of technology which will vastly increase productivity and improve the quality of service to the public.  In the area of public safety, we stand to realize savings through attrition beginning in 2010 without any reduction in services.

We also continue to be aggressive in attracting alternative funding sources to Marlboro.  Within the next few weeks, for example, we will solidify an agreement with the State to compensate the Township $150,000 per year for patrolling the old Hospital site.  Most importantly, our aggressive economic development initiatives have begun to bear fruit and attract new commercial ratables to our Township.

We are constantly looking for new ways to build upon our track record of reducing operating costs and developing new revenue sources.  In this context, we welcome the talk in Trenton of a “2.5% cap”.  Without meaningful reform at the State level in the areas of employee benefits and collective bargaining, however, calls for caps are no more than empty political rhetoric.  Worse, this dialogue only feeds the trend of pushing costs and responsibility for funding basic governmental services down to the property taxpayer.  This is both irresponsible and dishonest.  It is time to stop playing politics and for all levels of government to begin living by the same rules that we have had no choice but to adopt at the local level.

Sincerely,

 

Jonathan L. Hornik
Mayor