Green Brook Mayor Responds to Critical Letter
Mayor Jerry Searfoss says only service lost is 'picking up junk at the curbside.'
At Monday’s Township Committee meeting, the topic of unhappy citizens in Green Brook came up. One of the main things that was brought to the mayor’s attention was a recent letter to the editor claiming taxes are going up but services are going down.
The letter from Diane Eisen posted July 23 charges Green Brook is at the top of county municipalities in tax increases between 2000 and 2007, noting over the same period of time, the township cut services.
But Mayor Jerry Searfoss took exception to that.
“Sometimes I hear things, that we’ve lost services and we’re not getting as much as we used to get for our money, but I’ve looked at things that go on in town and I think that the only service that we might have reduced is picking up the junk at the curb,” Mayor Searfoss said. “I really don’t know of anything else. Sure, we’re down a police officer—but as far as I know I don’t think there’s any crime waves. I think crime is down in town, so I don’t think there is a loss of service there.”
He added the township has reduced the number of employees, as a result of "weaker budget," and said the township is seeking ways to increase revenue.
"I don’t know if you notice behind [town hall] there’s going to be a cell tower," he said. "That’s going to bring revenue into town. We’re also going to get street sweeping done for the entire town twice a year. That’s going to be a shared service with North Plainfield at a minimal cost to us. That’s adding a service on a budget that people always say, ‘you’re taking away services’.
"Again, I don’t know of any services that we’ve lost at all over the past four, five years other than maybe the junk day,” he said.
He also said that Green Brook is looking into a municipal court solution that may save the township money as well.
“Sometimes it bothers me when some people say things...maybe their perception is that they’ve lost services but I don’t really see it,” Mayor Searfoss added. “We work very hard to get a budget in place, and I think this is a good budget. We’re trying to keep it at around this place, as efficiently as we can. We’re a small town. Anything out of the ordinary really hits us hard. We’re gonna do something for the Fire-EMS this year, but those are things we need. It’s not like we’re just going to go out and buy things that we don’t need.”
“I just think sometimes there’s a perception that maybe we’re doing not as much as we should, but I don’t find that to be the case," he said. "I’m not going to point fingers but one of the smallest amounts of our total budget is the town and it’s hard. You don’t want to hear that, because when your bill comes you just want to scream at somebody. We understand that and we’re just trying to put the best budget we can out there.”
Diane Eisen
9:09 am on Thursday, August 2, 2012
It's not so much of an issue that a service or two is lost during a budget crisis but the fact that services provided, which are minimal to begin with, are reduced and on top of that taxes keep rising with no end in sight. I'm much more concerned with the fact that the taxes in Green Brook have increased more than any of the other towns in Somerset County over the past decade and that taxes increased this year by 6.5%. Why? If the Municipal part of our taxes is the smallest portion of our tax burden is the Council trying to find ways to work with the School Board? I also see the mayor quoted as saying they are "seeking ways to increase revenue". How is this being done? I am concerned that the township is not attractive to new business along Rt. 22 and elsewhere because of taxes and fees associated with a start-up here. There is also a concern of mine which I sent to the Council in a private letter (which was ignored by 4 members of the Concil) regarding contacting a live person in Town Hall by phone - I haven't had any luck with that - it always goes to voicemail. The Council (and the township staff) need to be accessible to the people of Green Brook who vote for them each November. Also, do we really need street sweeping? My street is pretty clean and I don't recall having this service before during the past 11 years as a resident. If there's extra money for that consider returning it to the taxpayers - that should be the #1 priority.
mike
10:19 am on Sunday, August 5, 2012
There is no need to raise taxes in Green Brook, just a need to get certain people out of their current positions in town. No one thinks of what will really help the town, rather they think of how they can take more money from the people while doing less. Unfortunately it is the way people and a good portion of our youth think today. "How can I get paid more for doing less". Put the money back into the system and build up the town. Have people working the municipal building in the many jobs that are needed. Keep supporting the Police/Fire/EMS division. Support the school system so the kids can have the best computers and teachers available to them. Put money back into what made Green Brook so great -the Little League. Baseball was such a huge tradition in GB for many years, and the fields and facilities should be immaculate. There is no need to raise taxes, people in charge need to learn where and ow to spread the money correctly, back to people and town of Green Brook.
Dan
11:11 pm on Saturday, August 11, 2012
With all due respect to Mr. searfoss, his respons to Ms. Eisen's concerns leaves one wanting for more. I find that his response focused too much on the issue of perceived loss of services and not the overriding issue that our taxes have increased at a meteoric rate. There is a point at we may feel our taxes paid match what we get in return (police, schools, and just Green Brook itself). However, I'm sensing that many of us feel a gross imbalance in that respect.
Mr. Searfoss, The citizens of Green Brook appreciate that you and the town council work hard on the budget but, quite frankly, it may feel somewhat infantalizing to be told that we really haven't lost much. The fact that you are perplexed by the concerns expressed in Ms. Eisen's letter is distressing. The bottom line is we see the taxes rising and we do not feel there is accountability in the overall budget. You make the subtle distinction of the "town" budget. Our checkbooks make no such distinction. A case in point, the school board voted itself a very healthy increase in its budget which was, in turn, reflected in our taxes. What was that money targeted for? Programs? Physical plant? Salaries? The increase in that budget in the absence of a referendum in these economic times when not just towns but real people are hurting is also concerning.
sarah siegel
4:49 pm on Sunday, August 12, 2012
Mr. Searfoss and other Green Brook township officials: Where can one find a copy of the 2010, 2011, and 2012 town budgets? The municipal web page shows only the 2009 budget. These budgets and accompanying explanations should be posted for all to see. We would really like some clear answers about why the town is collecting an illegal 6.5% (when the state mandate is a 2% cap). Thank you.
Diane Eisen
8:32 pm on Sunday, August 12, 2012
I was also wondering why the budgets for these past years are not posted on the website. Unfortunately Sarah, the 2% budget cap pertains to the municipal budget, school budget and the county budget but the tax rate can be increased as much as they need to so they can meet the overall budget. My question is why they need 6.5% more than was needed last year and why isn't the budget being cut in order to prevent further increases. We all have to do that when our own personal expenses increase - we can't just go out and ask for a 6.5% increase in our paychecks. I am hoping you can join us at the next Town Council Meeting on August 20 at 7:30 in Town Hall for some answers.