Good Morning Everyone Today I, like many others, will be venturing out ; but before I begin my day I just wanted to offer a few thoughts on both the text many of us received yesterday and the rebuttal by Committeeman Dan Buzzetta on facebook If you did not receive the text, email me your cell phone number and I will forward my text to you. I read the text message, as many others, and was not happy with the numbers. We all see our taxes climbing. The text ended with the question: Where is the money going? I don't see this question as adversarial or cowardly, I see it as a valid question. For years I have attended the budget planning meetings on two consecutive Saturdays and it is very difficult to make any sense of the whole picture. We are given no materials and no real explanations. We are just allowed to sit and watch the procedure. The reason provided is the fiscal budget is not finalized. Well I have to tell you when I lived in NY that was not the case; everything was clearly laid out for all to see well in advance of its adoption. My wish list for the tentative budget hearing would include the following: ✅a multi-colored pie graph so we can easily see the various percentages of the total proposed budget and where it is being proposed to be spent ✅vertical bar graphs over a 3 year period of time showing the progression of spending for each section on the pie graph ✅a tentative line item budget for each department... with an attachment for what each department is requesting for the coming fiscal year with justifications ✅a real rendering of our monies all accounts and their balances. ( Is there any monies left over from each department for the previous year) all accounts should reflect entries and withdrawals ✅a list of all grants we are requesting and how they are proposed to be used ✅a total accounting of our code enforcement department... What amounts are we collecting in summons and fines ✅a total accounting of our building department for the applications filed. The last two bullets are necessary to allow us to see two very healthy streams of revenue and how it is being used. In other words.... We would like to see a real budget. Not straining our ears to hear what is being said since the various department leaders always have their backs to us speaking to the township committee. Also, do we ever cut a line item in our budget? How would we know; we only see a bills list not a financial statement. For that we have to make an appointment with Mr Antonides and sit down with him. That should not be necessary ! I would have liked to see a solution to the question posed in the text of how our taxes are being utilized with a constructive response from the united board( that's all 5 members), not a finger pointing exercise by Dan Buzzetta. Also, I was disappointed to see all the personal attacks in Mr Buzzetta's response on FB. Anonymous or not our taxes are a very valid concern and it should be taken seriously. I know my taxes over the last twelve years have gone up 8,500 dollars. What does someone filming the meeting have to do with the budget?????....Anything to distract from a lack of transparency. This should have been an opportunity for the board to present a professional response and instead we got name calling, finger pointing and wishy washy facts. I did like the part where Dan accused someone of manipulating us from behind a curtain...oh did I say manipulate 😀 This is not a paperback novel. this is our homes and our taxes. So unprofessional, So disappointing and So juvenile ! Unfortunately, this is what we have become accustomed to expect from him. Now let's see if our town board heeds my suggestions which are echoed throughout the town. Let's see if they improve the process and make it absolutely transparent.
This post right here is why this petition is so important