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Guest
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 Posted: Fri, Mar 18 2011, 11:32 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Cranbury Mayor Suggests Other Budget Options; Committee Reaction Is Lukewarm |
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| Somebody mentioned the debt is variable. What is it indexed to? |
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Guest
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| Posted: Sat, Mar 19 2011, 11:26 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Cranbury Mayor Suggests Other Budget Options; Committee Reaction Is Lukewarm |
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| Guest wrote: | | Somebody mentioned the debt is variable. What is it indexed to? |
If we don't know what the debt is indexed to, we really have no business commenting on whether the township should pay down the debt or not. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Sun, Mar 20 2011, 9:51 am EDT Post subject: Re: Cranbury Mayor Suggests Other Budget Options; Committee Reaction Is Lukewarm |
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| I believe it was stated it was tied to the short term mortgage rates. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Tue, Mar 22 2011, 2:51 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Cranbury Mayor Suggests Other Budget Options; Committee Reaction Is Lukewarm |
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| If everyone is so upset by the majority of the TC just trying to plan for the future with a small increase in taxes now to be better prepared for the future, why aren't we talking about the large increase that will likely come from school taxes? |
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Guest
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| Posted: Tue, Mar 22 2011, 3:05 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Cranbury Mayor Suggests Other Budget Options; Committee Reaction Is Lukewarm |
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| school 4 pennies increase |
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Guest
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| Posted: Tue, Mar 22 2011, 3:14 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Cranbury Mayor Suggests Other Budget Options; Committee Reaction Is Lukewarm |
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| Mayor Cody is up for reelection this year. Maybe he is only worried about his reelection? |
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Guest
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| Posted: Tue, Mar 22 2011, 4:07 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Cranbury Mayor Suggests Other Budget Options; Committee Reaction Is Lukewarm |
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| Guest wrote: | | Mayor Cody is up for reelection this year. Maybe he is only worried about his reelection? |
Someone seems a little too interested in repeatedly driving that point home, over and over on this fourm, as if that would change the argument about the budget one way or the other. Why not stick to examining the issues on their merits and facts? |
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Guest
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| Posted: Tue, Mar 22 2011, 5:33 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Cranbury Mayor Suggests Other Budget Options; Committee Reaction Is Lukewarm |
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| Guest wrote: | | Guest wrote: | | Mayor Cody is up for reelection this year. Maybe he is only worried about his reelection? |
Someone seems a little too interested in repeatedly driving that point home, over and over on this fourm, as if that would change the argument about the budget one way or the other. Why not stick to examining the issues on their merits and facts? |
reelection is a fact and could be clouding the facts for him. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Tue, Mar 22 2011, 6:06 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Cranbury Mayor Suggests Other Budget Options; Committee Reaction Is Lukewarm |
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| Guest wrote: | | Guest wrote: | | Guest wrote: | | Mayor Cody is up for reelection this year. Maybe he is only worried about his reelection? |
Someone seems a little too interested in repeatedly driving that point home, over and over on this fourm, as if that would change the argument about the budget one way or the other. Why not stick to examining the issues on their merits and facts? |
reelection is a fact and could be clouding the facts for him. |
That his term will conclude at the end of the year is fact. That he will re-run is conjecture. That it is "clouding his judgment" or causing him to pander to politics is pure insinuation. The point is you don’t need to draw conclusions based on whether he’s running or not. The budgets and issues are available for public consumption so why debase yourself to trying to discredit one position or the other by character assassination instead of just arguing the issues on their merits or lack thereof? |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Mar 23 2011, 7:12 am EDT Post subject: Re: Cranbury Mayor Suggests Other Budget Options; Committee Reaction Is Lukewarm |
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| Can the other 4 members of town council be wrong? |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Mar 23 2011, 8:38 am EDT Post subject: Re: Cranbury Mayor Suggests Other Budget Options; Committee Reaction Is Lukewarm |
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| Not sure how someone can be labeled as wrong in this debate. It's a matter of how TC members feel they should pass a responsible budget when faced with uncertainty of future economic conditions. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Mar 23 2011, 9:52 am EDT Post subject: Re: Cranbury Mayor Suggests Other Budget Options; Committee Reaction Is Lukewarm |
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| Guest wrote: | | Can the other 4 members of town council be wrong? |
Is this a joke reply?
I hope so. Or if not, hopefully a young child still maturing and not yet an adult, voting citizen.
Because it's disappointing to think that a local voter would really ignore the available facts and simply conclude that 4 people can't be wrong. I know all of the 4 and I think it's safe to say that they would be disappointed with such logic too and urge people to make their own informed decisions. Of course 4 members of the Township Committee could be wrong. All 5 could be. That doesn’t mean they are now, just that it’s a silly rationale to base any decision on. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Mar 23 2011, 2:50 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Cranbury Mayor Suggests Other Budget Options; Committee Reaction Is Lukewarm |
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| Guest wrote: | | Guest wrote: | | Can the other 4 members of town council be wrong? |
Is this a joke reply?
I hope so. Or if not, hopefully a young child still maturing and not yet an adult, voting citizen.
Because it's disappointing to think that a local voter would really ignore the available facts and simply conclude that 4 people can't be wrong. I know all of the 4 and I think it's safe to say that they would be disappointed with such logic too and urge people to make their own informed decisions. Of course 4 members of the Township Committee could be wrong. All 5 could be. That doesn’t mean they are now, just that it’s a silly rationale to base any decision on. |
Can the Mayor be wrong? |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Mar 23 2011, 3:43 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Cranbury Mayor Suggests Other Budget Options; Committee Reaction Is Lukewarm |
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| Guest wrote: | | Guest wrote: | | Guest wrote: | | Can the other 4 members of town council be wrong? |
Is this a joke reply?
I hope so. Or if not, hopefully a young child still maturing and not yet an adult, voting citizen.
Because it's disappointing to think that a local voter would really ignore the available facts and simply conclude that 4 people can't be wrong. I know all of the 4 and I think it's safe to say that they would be disappointed with such logic too and urge people to make their own informed decisions. Of course 4 members of the Township Committee could be wrong. All 5 could be. That doesn’t mean they are now, just that it’s a silly rationale to base any decision on. |
Can the Mayor be wrong? |
he is wrong
| Quote: | | The crux of Mayor Cody’s presentation was two alternate budget suggestions he had crafted, neither of which would require the already-introduced tax increase from 37.5 to 39.5 cents per $100 of assessed home value. Mayor Cody said he preferred his second budget alternative, which, according to his figures, would leave the township with a greater year-end surplus than the budget proposal that has been introduced. The major difference in this plan is that it wouldn’t include an optional bond debt repayment of around $500,000. This bond has a variable interest rate that is now at 1.5 percent but which will change at the end of the summer. |
| Quote: | | Township Administrator Denise Marabello said that putting off that debt repayment might not be a good plan for Cranbury going forward. |
Why not pay down debt Mr Mayor? |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Mar 23 2011, 4:33 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Cranbury Mayor Suggests Other Budget Options; Committee Reaction Is Lukewarm |
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Here is the problem. We have 1.9 million available to spend to offset tax increases now and next year if no new revenue comes in.
Under the Mayor's proposal we use 2 million leaving us with a -100K in surplus for tax rate offsets. So we are left hoping that we find new revenue or costs come in under the projection.
Under the budget that was introduced that the 4 TC members agree on the TC is using 1.7 million of the 1.9 million available. So we keep 200k (about 1 cent) in reserve for tax rate offsets next year. Still a large draw on the surplus.
To put this in context we have used 1 million plus to keep the tax rate stable each of the past years.
Now, the clouding factor is that the surplus is 4.9 million so people like the Mayor look at that number and say it can be used in the future and we should spend it.
However, the other 4 TC members are looking at of the 4.9 million 2 million is required to keep our AAA bond rating and 1 million is required to settle any Tax Appeals. So while we could use this money, but it would cause the town to either substantially raise taxes in the event of a tax appeal or put the AAA bond rating at risk. With a large commercial district and several large capital projects pending it is not wise to use this money so that is why the other 4 TC members are concerned in my opinion.
I don't think either side is right or wrong, I think it's a case of a short term view vs long term view. The Mayor is focused on this year alone, while the other 4 are looking at today and tomorrow.
Remember a lot of the assumptions used are just that guesses. They guess that 800k will come back somehow, they guess that that state aid will come in. The problem is if neither happens then the Mayor's proposal leaves us with a deficit of money to use toward reduced taxes next year and in the position of a higher tax increase. The other 4 TC members gives us a cushion to keep the taxes under control. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Mar 23 2011, 4:39 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Cranbury Mayor Suggests Other Budget Options; Committee Reaction Is Lukewarm |
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| Guest wrote: |
I don't think either side is right or wrong, I think it's a case of a short term view vs long term view. The Mayor is focused on this year alone, while the other 4 are looking at today and tomorrow. |
I like the long term view |
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