Stahl: Cut newspaper, more staff from budget
Neary defends tab, which includes five fewer positions
BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK - Township Councilman David Stahl says the township should stop publishing its newspaper, The East Brunswick Quarterly.

The township, he said, spent $25,000 on the newspaper last year, money that he feels was not well spent given the town's budget woes and rising tax rate.

In establishing the newspaper three years ago, Mayor William Neary said the publication, which is mailed to all residents, would soon make enough revenue from advertisements to pay for itself, but that did not happen in 2007.

Stahl, who is challenging Neary for the Democratic Party's nomination in this year's mayoral election, discussed the newspaper as one of several budgetary issues he would like to address as the town faces a potential 14-cent increase in the municipal tax rate.

"At the end of the day, is this the wisest decision to spend $25,000?" Stahl asked.

Neary defended the decision to maintain the newspaper, saying it helps to get information to residents and to communicate with them on township matters. He said advertising revenue does help to defray the cost of the publication, though the township did have to shell out $25,000 last year.

The newspaper is published by Jaffe Publications LLC, of Westfield, on behalf of the township.

Stahl also took aim at township staff positions.

He said he believes the mayor's office could do without two secretary positions, and questioned the recent hiring of a secretary to replace one who retired in the office of Township Business Administrator James White.

"You mean you cannot have one secretary serve both spots?" Stahl asked, referring to the mayor's and business administrator's offices. "Certainly something can be done. You can easily have one secretary for the administrator and mayor."

During the March 10 Township Council meeting, which included a budget workshop, Councilwoman Nancy Pinkin agreed with Stahl that the township should look at consolidating secretary positions.

Neary, in presenting his 2008 municipal budget Feb. 25, said the proposal includes no new programs or services, and that staffing was being reduced by five positions through attrition. He also called for a freeze on travel expenses and a closer look at overtime costs. Purchasing would also be completely overhauled, he said.

According to Stahl, the five positions Neary referred to in his budget address cannot all be looked at as cuts. Three of the five positions were workers in the School Age Child Care (SACC) program, which provides affordable after-school child care. The previously township-run program has been transferred to the school district.

The other two positions Neary mentioned were clerical jobs that have been cut.

Stahl pointed out, however, that the township has hired a new supervisor for the parks department.

"It's just not accurate information," he said. "Five people left our employment, but what about the people added, like the parks supervisor?"

Stahl said last week that the administration had yet to provide him with information on the supervisor's salary.

Neary said the parks supervisor is not a new position, since the township simply filled a position that was vacated several months earlier.

The mayor said his administration carefully examines staffing each year to make sure there are no unnecessary positions and to keep a lean budget. He said the township needs the employees that it has in order to provide the services and programs to which residents are accustomed.

The municipal tax increase, he noted, is not somuch the result of fundingmunicipal positions as it is the result of decisionsmade at the state level over the years. The state, for example, has placed the onus of funding its pension program onto the local governments and provided flat state aid for many years.

Neary noted that the 2008 municipal budget is not much different from those in years past.He said Stahl has become critical of such items because he is running for mayor.

Stahl has also taken aim at the Police Department budget, noting that overtime has increased greatly from last year. He recalled that last year Neary said the departmentwould use longer shifts to providemore police coverage and save the township money on overtime.

"But overtime is up dramatically from last year," Stahl said, adding that he inquired about thematter but did not get a response. "No one had an answer, even though they prepared the budget."

In general, Stahl said he is not advocating firings or layoffs, just a "responsible look at our work force."

"Theremay be placeswhere people leave and you don't need to replace them," he said.

The $64.2 million municipal budget, which is up 1.84 percent fromlast year, was proposedwith an 11-cent increase in themunicipal tax rate, but state aid cuts recently announced could bring that to 14 cents.

An 11-cent increase would have the owner of property assessed at $100,000 paying $110 more per year in municipal taxes this year; at 14 cents that property owner would pay $140 more. Municipal taxes are one portion of the property tax bill, which also includes school, county, fire district and open space taxes.

Neary has attributed 5 cents of the tax rate increase to the township's contractual obligations, and the other 6 cents to pension fund payments.He said the township is paying into various employee pension funds "to make up for the suspended payments in the early 1990s, dictated by then-Governor [Christie]Whitman."

Stahl said he finds the idea of a 14-cent tax rate hike "unacceptable."

"I thinkwe canmake cutswithout harming the health, safety and welfare of our community," he said.

The Township Council is scheduled to hold another budget workshop at 7 p.m. March 31 in the municipal courtroom.