Author	Message
Guest	Posted: Sun, Mar 8 2009, 12:12 pm EDT    Post subject: Re: Library gives money to township With a company project there is a return on investment issue and a need to strip expenses to turn a profit. On the public side there is no accountability especially if the voters blindly approve school budgets year after year. Since the majority of people who vote on the school budgets and BOE are parents it is an uphill climb to defeat a budget. Not only that, but in general teachers, schools, PTA and other groups also get involved in promoting the need for the budget increase.
Guest	Posted: Sun, Mar 8 2009, 10:17 am EDT    Post subject: Re: Library gives money to township The school budget issue concerns me and reflects the problem with public finanace. Once something enters the budget, it never comes out. And I don't share the positive view of the library "give back." This is a public funding issue again - a public entity accruing a large surplus is a problem in my book, and worse yet in these times.
Guest	Posted: Sat, Mar 7 2009, 8:23 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Library gives money to township To the original point, it is $1M for roof repair PLUS the fact that the $360K last year was supposed to be a one-time expense, so it is more appropriate to say the budget increase year-over-year is $2.35M. In the Corporate world, you don't merge capital expenses with op ex year-over-year comparisons for exactly this reason, because they are supposed to be one-offs and therefore shouldn't be assumed as a baseline in subsequent budgets (and they should be treated differently for tax purposes, being depreciated gradually). Any way you look at it, that is a MASSIVE increase in a severe recession / depression (that’s want many economists are starting to predict it is). There better be extremely compelling reasons that absolutely none of this can be deferred or eliminated.
Guest	Posted: Sat, Mar 7 2009, 7:13 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Library gives money to township Guest wrote: The main complaint seems to be that they made up a roofing project to inflate the budget. I don't find this argument credible. I think a better argument to make is that the budget is too large and identify what you believe should be cut. It seems that you and "Concerned" (perhaps you are one in the same) had misread the posts. No mention of grants received and/or false roofing projects had been discussed by any other poster except for yourself. However, you have indeed brought up an interesting query; Is the school roofing project meant to inflate the school budget and then used elsewhere? I don't know what the answer is; but a million dollar roof seems excessive. What do you think?
Guest	Posted: Sat, Mar 7 2009, 7:10 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Library gives money to township I was asking someone and found out last year's roof was on the new addition. Didn't we get any type of warranty or credit on this work and if not then why is it our responsability? I am replacing a roof and 3 of the 4 contractors I had quote say that they had warranty not only on material, but company guarantees on labor so if the roof leaked in the next 15 years it would be repaired at no cost.
Guest	Posted: Sat, Mar 7 2009, 6:53 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Library gives money to township Guest wrote: This included a $652,000 capital project for the roof. 360K was spent last year on the roof and the school wants another 652K for 2009? WOW a million dollar roof.
Guest	Posted: Sat, Mar 7 2009, 5:19 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Library gives money to township Did anyone attend the School Board meeting on March 3? If you look at their web site, the budget was on the agenda. While I am not sure if I am reading this right and we should wait until the final proposed budget is presented, the preliminary information is revealing. The total spending proposed was $18,679,392 compared to $16,599,188 last year, an increase over $2 Million. This included a $652,000 capital project for the roof. The proposed school tax rate increased from 85.46 to 91.72. There is a public hearing on the school budget on March 31 at 7:00. All of this information is available on the Board of Ed web site - http://portal.cranburyschool.org/boe/default.aspx
Guest	Posted: Sat, Mar 7 2009, 3:49 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Library gives money to township Guest wrote: Did I miss something? The main complaint seems to be that they made up a roofing project to inflate the budget. I don't find this argument credible.. Yes, you did miss something - Nowhere is it stated that the school made up a false repair project. I think you missed the point. That money that was voted on by the taxpayers was a line item in the increase of the budget. Because it was not a bond vote, that 360K is just a dollar amount in this years budget and can be used for anything. Won't it be nice if the school didn't use it and lowered their budget. Hmmm..... then we won't have a tax increase this year and the next. .... And waiting for the school budget to be presented to the public, then it's too late. It's best to talk about these issues while the school is in the process of planning. It's always best to be prepared.
Guest	Posted: Sat, Mar 7 2009, 3:05 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Library gives money to township Did I miss something? The school budget isn't even out yet. I think calling people dishonest is premature at best. I think you are arguing a particularly virulent form of semantics. When the budget comes out, look at it line be line. If something seems amiss bring it up. The main complaint seems to be that they made up a roofing project to inflate the budget. I don't find this argument credible. I think a better argument to make is that the budget is too large and identify what you believe should be cut. By referring to the school board as dishonest, you do nothing to further your argument.
Frugality in Cranbury	Posted: Sat, Mar 7 2009, 1:31 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Library gives money to township I'm proud that the Crabury TC pushed the Public Library to be fiscally responsible. Even though 18K is very small in comparision as to the their yearly surplus, at least it is something. I hope that the TC keeps up the pressure and gets the school to take the 360K it recieved for a specific completed roof project out of there 2009 budget. I know it is not illegal to take the dollar amount and keep it in their budget and use it for other line items (whether needed or not); but it shakes my faith of the Cranbury School of their unethical behavior.
ISee	Posted: Thu, Mar 5 2009, 3:21 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Library gives money to township "That's the problem with school budgets, we're not approving line items we're approving totals. Hopefully, people will vote it down." Thanks. I got it now. The school should NOT include last year's $360K roof-repair in 2009's budget. Voters approved the $360K expense because it was for repairing the roof (a need not a want), not a blank check for future years! This year, if the school does not need another roof-repair, it should NOT include this expense item. Doing so is abusing voters' trust.
NotaGuest	Posted: Thu, Mar 5 2009, 3:02 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Library gives money to township You didnt miss anything at all, it is dishonest budgeting. At some point our local employees including those in the school need to hold or ideally reduce expenses like all the rest of us are doing. The DOW is at 6606 down 268 pts as I write this note, and that's a 17yr low, 1/4 of the mortgages in the past 5yrs are now underwater and tomorrow’s unemployment numbers are expected to be the worst posted to date. Both the town budget and school budget are increased this year both over a million, I guess they are not viewing the same news about the crisis that I am????
parent	Posted: Thu, Mar 5 2009, 3:01 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Library gives money to township The reason that occurs is because the 360,000 was not a bond. It was a tax increase that was put into the budget. The voters passed the budget last year. So this year, they have the same revenue number, but just allocate it differently. That's the problem with school budgets, we're not approving line items we're approving totals. Hopefully, people will vote it down. The BOE is used to a blank check like the TC. It's for the children, don't make the children suffer....I miss the old days of Argento where he understood it was a small town public school and not the upper elite private school. Haney seems to think he can ask for and get whatever he wants. Look at the library issue he started up with trying to evict them.
Guest	Posted: Thu, Mar 5 2009, 2:49 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Library gives money to township Quote: So, for instance the 360 thousand that was in last years budget was indeed used for the roof - However, since Cranbury residents voted to increase the School budget last year, that $360,000 remains in their budget projections for 2009 but is earmarked for other uses. This does not make sense. The $360K was for roof repair (one time expense). How can the school use that to project budget for 2009 (more roof repairs for 2009?? or an endless 'roof-repair' ???) ? Did I miss anything?
Guest	Posted: Thu, Mar 5 2009, 2:28 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Library gives money to township confused wrote: Thanks that really did clear it up. I have one quibble. Your statement that this is a dishonest practice. Your complaint seems to be they paid for a roof repair out of there budget while applying for some sort of grant to pay for the repair. I don't see that as dishonest. In fact as you led me through the budget it seems rather straightforward. If your complaint is their budget keeps going up, I think your complaint is well founded. I don't think there is any dishonesty involved. No, I did not even talk about grants. The statement was that the roof money was used in 2008 and that dollar amount stays in the budget for 2009 but is not used for the any on going roof repair. It is used for other expenses. The dishonest practice is that the 360 thousand should be credited out of the equation for 2009. Every governmental agency, nonprofit, school, library, and even regular businesses are cutting back. My concern is the Cranbury is an exception by constantly spending on wants and not needs. It's like being a kid in a candy store and we want it all not matter what the price. We have to be practical and go back to basics. How many of your neighbors are currently out of a job? Do you really think raising our taxes will be helpful?
confused	Posted: Thu, Mar 5 2009, 2:15 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Library gives money to township Thanks that really did clear it up. I have one quibble. Your statement that this is a dishonest practice. Your complaint seems to be they paid for a roof repair out of there budget while applying for some sort of grant to pay for the repair. I don't see that as dishonest. In fact as you led me through the budget it seems rather straightforward. If your complaint is their budget keeps going up, I think your complaint is well founded. I don't think there is any dishonesty involved.