Just as the area is getting over a pounding from two blizzards, there is more snow in the forecast for next week.
The dumping shouldn't be as bad at the last two storms, according to AccuWeather.
Snowfall will begin light Monday, with sleet and freezing rain. Then accumulation will become progressively higher. But totals are expected to be within the half-foot range rather than the one to two feet of the last storms.
These snow storms are costing towns and businesses a fortune in snow removal. I just hope they put some money away for a snowy day! Read in the AC Press today that millions of dollars are being paid out for tax rebates and the people receiving the rebates don't qualify. Gee I wonder if this is happening in Hammonton? We all know that in this town everything is based on your last name and who you know! I'm sure if it has been done in this town it will be kept a secret.
Any reasonable taxpayer would expect a small increase in taxes to cover the added extreme snow removal costs from this winter season. I would rather keep the extra tax money in my pocket as long as possible because the taxes never go down.
Any reasonable taxpayer would expect a small increase in taxes to cover the added extreme snow removal costs from this winter season. I would rather keep the extra tax money in my pocket as long as possible because the taxes never go down.
Well Hammonton First says as long as they are in office no tax increase. A promise is a promise. They said no matter what no tax increase because the tax payers are struggling so snow or no snow no tax increase!!!!!!
Any reasonable taxpayer would expect a small increase in taxes to cover the added extreme snow removal costs from this winter season. I would rather keep the extra tax money in my pocket as long as possible because the taxes never go down.
Well Hammonton First says as long as they are in office no tax increase. A promise is a promise. They said no matter what no tax increase because the tax payers are struggling so snow or no snow no tax increase!!!!!!
I guess that is why HF wins all the time. The other parties would never promise no tax increases
HF is just laying the groundwork for a massive tax increase instead of just small tax increases every year.
I hope all the McMansion owners are saving their pennies from this no tax increases. They'll be paying soon. Funny, those are the phonies that vote HF.
HF is just laying the groundwork for a massive tax increase instead of just small tax increases every year.
I hope all the McMansion owners are saving their pennies from this no tax increases. They'll be paying soon. Funny, those are the phonies that vote HF.
It seems strange that the HF bashers always seem to be pushing for yearly tax increases. All across the country, people are pushing for the government to reduce spending and keep taxes down.
I think HF has done a great job keeping taxes down, of course I would not hold a penny here or there for good use against them. I think the Highway Dept. has done a great job. Those who complain just can not figure out wether to take their Lexus, or Range Rover to work in bad weather. Those payments books come snow or not. The rest of us just sit back and think of pleasant thoughts.
HF is just laying the groundwork for a massive tax increase instead of just small tax increases every year.
I hope all the McMansion owners are saving their pennies from this no tax increases. They'll be paying soon. Funny, those are the phonies that vote HF.
It seems strange that the HF bashers always seem to be pushing for yearly tax increases. All across the country, people are pushing for the government to reduce spending and keep taxes down.
That's because everyone knows they are lying that it's all good when it isn't. If the town has so much money then why do the town employees have to take furloughs Dah! Actions speak louder than words.
Any reasonable taxpayer would expect a small increase in taxes to cover the added extreme snow removal costs from this winter season. I would rather keep the extra tax money in my pocket as long as possible because the taxes never go down.
Well Hammonton First says as long as they are in office no tax increase. A promise is a promise. They said no matter what no tax increase because the tax payers are struggling so snow or no snow no tax increase!!!!!!
I guess that is why HF wins all the time. The other parties would never promise no tax increases
NOT! It's not good to not raise taxes and keep borrowing because it's costing the taxpayers more money in interest. If HF was as good as they say they are then don't raise taxes, don't borrow any more money, don't cut services and don't furlough employees. All they have to do is cut the senseless projects and they will have more than enough money to plow snow. Bet they can't do it! The reps and dems did it.
Municipal taxes did not go up under Anthony Ingemi, a Republican, and we weren't spending money on things we don't need.
HF never tells you that. They were too busy tarring Anthony's reputation.
You are right! What makes me laugh so hard is the fact that when someone disagrees with Hammonton First it's called bashing yet they criticize everyone for doing a better job then them. They can dish it out but can't take it. A highly intelligent person encourages criticism because they know they are not always right. These clowns must know something we don't since they can't handle criticism! LOL
Anthony Ingemi was the most decent and done-to-earth Mayor Hammonton had. The DiDonato Duds don't deserve to wipe his nose. D brothers are legends in their own mind...it is race to the bottom with those two.
When you ask politicians a question how to determine if they are lying to you or telling the truth: a liar will do the following after you ask a question. 1.) turn away from you and not stand face to face to you. 2.) they will start to chuckle and try to make a joke out of your question. 3.) they become very defensive to try and back you off. 4.) they use the word never instead of no. 5.) they will change the subject.
So the next time you ask a question of your elected officials look for these signs and you will know if they are telling you the truth. I know of a political party in town who does all of the above on a daily basis. Example: on the blog they are always saying your bashing us!
When you ask politicians a question how to determine if they are lying to you or telling the truth: a liar will do the following after you ask a question. 1.) turn away from you and not stand face to face to you. 2.) they will start to chuckle and try to make a joke out of your question. 3.) they become very defensive to try and back you off. 4.) they use the word never instead of no. 5.) they will change the subject.
So the next time you ask a question of your elected officials look for these signs and you will know if they are telling you the truth. I know of a political party in town who does all of the above on a daily basis. Example: on the blog they are always saying your bashing us!
Opps! forgot an important one: when they say I would never lie to you!
NOT! It's not good to not raise taxes and keep borrowing because it's costing the taxpayers more money in interest. If HF was as good as they say they are then don't raise taxes, don't borrow any more money, don't cut services and don't furlough employees. All they have to do is cut the senseless projects and they will have more than enough money to plow snow. Bet they can't do it! The reps and dems did it.
Considering the town's independent auditor has verified that debt has gone down, why do you still want to raise taxes?
NOT! It's not good to not raise taxes and keep borrowing because it's costing the taxpayers more money in interest. If HF was as good as they say they are then don't raise taxes, don't borrow any more money, don't cut services and don't furlough employees. All they have to do is cut the senseless projects and they will have more than enough money to plow snow. Bet they can't do it! The reps and dems did it.
Considering the town's independent auditor has verified that debt has gone down, why do you still want to raise taxes?
If what you are saying is true then why do the town employees have to take furlough days. HF keeps sending mixed signals. Explain that!
NOT! It's not good to not raise taxes and keep borrowing because it's costing the taxpayers more money in interest. If HF was as good as they say they are then don't raise taxes, don't borrow any more money, don't cut services and don't furlough employees. All they have to do is cut the senseless projects and they will have more than enough money to plow snow. Bet they can't do it! The reps and dems did it.
Considering the town's independent auditor has verified that debt has gone down, why do you still want to raise taxes?
If what you are saying is true then why do the town employees have to take furlough days. HF keeps sending mixed signals. Explain that!
Because at every level government has to tighten it's belt in a bad economy. The state is cutting back on the yearly aid it provides since it it broke. The school already saw that.
If the Dems and Reps in Trenton would have cut costs years ago, the whole State would not be broke now. So Hammonton continually reducing it's costs is common sense Trenton should learn from.
NOT! It's not good to not raise taxes and keep borrowing because it's costing the taxpayers more money in interest. If HF was as good as they say they are then don't raise taxes, don't borrow any more money, don't cut services and don't furlough employees. All they have to do is cut the senseless projects and they will have more than enough money to plow snow. Bet they can't do it! The reps and dems did it.
Considering the town's independent auditor has verified that debt has gone down, why do you still want to raise taxes?
If what you are saying is true then why do the town employees have to take furlough days. HF keeps sending mixed signals. Explain that!
Because at every level government has to tighten it's belt in a bad economy. The state is cutting back on the yearly aid it provides since it it broke. The school already saw that.
If the Dems and Reps in Trenton would have cut costs years ago, the whole State would not be broke now. So Hammonton continually reducing it's costs is common sense Trenton should learn from.
See your lying: you're avoiding the question and changing the subject! If the school saw cuts in their aid then why didn't they lay off employees or furlough employees or cut programs - they didn't did they? Stop blaming Trenton you said the town's debt went down so prove it. I'll believe it when I see it. Post it on this site if you will. If you don't post it you are not telling the truth. So whatever you say means nothing.
Enough of this bull crap! The towns debt has increased 6 times under Hammonton First. Under Ingemi the debt was 7 million under Hammonton First it is 45 million. The one time 3 million dollar payment from the gas company reduced the debt to 42 million. That's how you can say that you have reduced the debt but in actuality 6 x 7 = 42 million which is 6 times higher than when Ingemi was Mayor. So Hammonton First has done an extremely poor job.
Enough of this bull crap! The towns debt has increased 6 times under Hammonton First. Under Ingemi the debt was 7 million under Hammonton First it is 45 million. The one time 3 million dollar payment from the gas company reduced the debt to 42 million. That's how you can say that you have reduced the debt but in actuality 6 x 7 = 42 million which is 6 times higher than when Ingemi was Mayor. So Hammonton First has done an extremely poor job.
I guess if you keep telling that story, maybe somebody will believe you.
Why should people believe the independent auditor who said the debt has gone down as well as Standard and Poor's who upgraded the town to a AA bond rating? Just because those professionals deal in facts doesn't mean you can't keep bashing with your own spin, right?
FACT Read the Bond Rating report. It never said debt went down. Our bond rating was raised because of big rateables, specifically, Patriot windows and Walmart.
FACT The Bond rating report also said that is is not an official audit since the raters base their assessment on the information that the Town supplied.
FACT The bond rating report also assumed that we would not be borrowing in the near future. Not true...stockton!
FACT The Town Audits also never stated debt went down. Matter of fact, the town audits clearly show that we have been dipping into our surplus every year.
Enough of this bull crap! The towns debt has increased 6 times under Hammonton First. Under Ingemi the debt was 7 million under Hammonton First it is 45 million. The one time 3 million dollar payment from the gas company reduced the debt to 42 million. That's how you can say that you have reduced the debt but in actuality 6 x 7 = 42 million which is 6 times higher than when Ingemi was Mayor. So Hammonton First has done an extremely poor job.
I guess if you keep telling that story, maybe somebody will believe you.
Why should people believe the independent auditor who said the debt has gone down as well as Standard and Poor's who upgraded the town to a AA bond rating? Just because those professionals deal in facts doesn't mean you can't keep bashing with your own spin, right?
Your lying again: you're changing the subject and you fail to prove what you are saying is correct. If what you are saying is true then why can't you prove it with numbers not words? Post the information or have the paper of record do a story on it. Why cut services, why furlough employees if you have all this money and are in great shape? The dems and reps never had to cut services, furloughs and never in our town's history did town employees get laid off? How can people believe what you are saying is true if you can't prove it. If you can be honest with yourself you can't be honest with anyone else!
The town audit is the official audit report and it showed that the debt went down The admin of this blog also acknowledged that in a posting about a year ago. The report is open to the public so you can go to town hall to get it.
The bond rating of AA was given by Standard & Poor's, a highly respected agency.
It seems there is a difference of opinion. HF seems to want to keep government spending down and you want to spend more.
That is okay, the Obama Administration is spending billions more. You just have to justify to the people of Hammonton what all the extra spending you want is going to buy.
Can you specifically state which cuts to spending HF has done that you don't like?
Let's set the record straight. Town Hall and the Senior Center combined were to cost $5.9 can they prove it - NO! They said 11th St. property was contaminated and couldn't put town hall there can they prove it - NO! Now they want to put a skate park there but where is it? They said 11th St. was too noisy for a town hall can they prove it - NO! Now they want to put Stockton near the tracks. So in another words we are just suppose to believe what they tell us as the truth? Why? They never tell the truth, they avoid the questions, change the questions and lie to us. Oh it's snowing outside and I can prove it because everyone can see it!
The town audit is the official audit report and it showed that the debt went down The admin of this blog also acknowledged that in a posting about a year ago. The report is open to the public so you can go to town hall to get it.
The bond rating of AA was given by Standard & Poor's, a highly respected agency.
It seems there is a difference of opinion. HF seems to want to keep government spending down and you want to spend more.
That is okay, the Obama Administration is spending billions more. You just have to justify to the people of Hammonton what all the extra spending you want is going to buy.
Can you specifically state which cuts to spending HF has done that you don't like?
Give us figures what the debt was and how much did it go down - actual numbers? S&P only goes by what you tell them. You say HF wants to keep spending down then why were they 6 million over budget on town hall and the senior center? Why did we need to renovate downtown properties not owned by the town? Why did we need to run water and sewer to the bowling alley? Why are you spending millions of taxpayer money to bring Stockton to Hammonton? You say they are keeping spending down but they aren't, they are redirecting the money to benefit them as explained above. Explain how does Stockton benefit the taxpayers who can't pay their gas or electric bills or better yet can afford prescription drugs? How will Stockton help with that? How will Stockton repave our roads and cut down all the trees along the roads that are falling down. How will Stokcton bring ratables and jobs to our town? If HF is trying to reduce spending then why not use our state of the art public high school? You keep avoiding these questions. SHOW US THE FIGURES!
The town audit is the official audit report and it showed that the debt went down The admin of this blog also acknowledged that in a posting about a year ago. The report is open to the public so you can go to town hall to get it.
The bond rating of AA was given by Standard & Poor's, a highly respected agency.
It seems there is a difference of opinion. HF seems to want to keep government spending down and you want to spend more.
That is okay, the Obama Administration is spending billions more. You just have to justify to the people of Hammonton what all the extra spending you want is going to buy.
Can you specifically state which cuts to spending HF has done that you don't like?
Give us figures what the debt was and how much did it go down - actual numbers? S&P only goes by what you tell them. You say HF wants to keep spending down then why were they 6 million over budget on town hall and the senior center? Why did we need to renovate downtown properties not owned by the town? Why did we need to run water and sewer to the bowling alley? Why are you spending millions of taxpayer money to bring Stockton to Hammonton? You say they are keeping spending down but they aren't, they are redirecting the money to benefit them as explained above. Explain how does Stockton benefit the taxpayers who can't pay their gas or electric bills or better yet can afford prescription drugs? How will Stockton help with that? How will Stockton repave our roads and cut down all the trees along the roads that are falling down. How will Stokcton bring ratables and jobs to our town? If HF is trying to reduce spending then why not use our state of the art public high school? You keep avoiding these questions. SHOW US THE FIGURES!
The nice thing is that all the independent auditor's yearly report is openly available at town hall by just asking the town clerk's office.
The town budget is even posted on the town web site.
Rich Jacobus and the Dems have often written about town hall being way over budget but there is no data. The auditor continually shows the surplus savings increased and debt decreased.
Don't know where Jacobus and the nay-saying Democrats get their information but I think it is a good idea to check the audit reports on the town website. Unfortunately, those reports have been "coming soon" for a few months.
I think though if someone read the audit reports from 2006-2008 (2009 has not been done yet) that under Note 17 in the Capital Debt section our total issued debt was 31 million in 2004 35 million in 2005 37 million in 2006 39.6 million in 2007 43 million in 2008 (This does not include the 1 million borrowed for Boyer Ave fields)
The reader may also find the following information in Exhibit A-1 of each audit in 2006 our excess revenue (operating surplus) was 2.7 million and of that we spent 1.7 million in 2007 our excess revenue was 2.4 million and we spent 2.8 million in 2008 our excess was 1.7 million and we spent 2.3 million
So in 2007 and 2008, we not only spent all of our operating surplus, actually dipped into savings.
Time for a subject change from the number-spinners.
The town audit is the official audit report and it showed that the debt went down The admin of this blog also acknowledged that in a posting about a year ago. The report is open to the public so you can go to town hall to get it.
The bond rating of AA was given by Standard & Poor's, a highly respected agency.
It seems there is a difference of opinion. HF seems to want to keep government spending down and you want to spend more.
That is okay, the Obama Administration is spending billions more. You just have to justify to the people of Hammonton what all the extra spending you want is going to buy.
Can you specifically state which cuts to spending HF has done that you don't like?
Give us figures what the debt was and how much did it go down - actual numbers? S&P only goes by what you tell them. You say HF wants to keep spending down then why were they 6 million over budget on town hall and the senior center? Why did we need to renovate downtown properties not owned by the town? Why did we need to run water and sewer to the bowling alley? Why are you spending millions of taxpayer money to bring Stockton to Hammonton? You say they are keeping spending down but they aren't, they are redirecting the money to benefit them as explained above. Explain how does Stockton benefit the taxpayers who can't pay their gas or electric bills or better yet can afford prescription drugs? How will Stockton help with that? How will Stockton repave our roads and cut down all the trees along the roads that are falling down. How will Stokcton bring ratables and jobs to our town? If HF is trying to reduce spending then why not use our state of the art public high school? You keep avoiding these questions. SHOW US THE FIGURES!
The nice thing is that all the independent auditor's yearly report is openly available at town hall by just asking the town clerk's office.
The town budget is even posted on the town web site.
Rich Jacobus and the Dems have often written about town hall being way over budget but there is no data. The auditor continually shows the surplus savings increased and debt decreased.
Both the Democrats are really pushing hard for a tax increase. They are even trying to bring up the period of 2004 and 2005 when HF wasn't even in office.
Rather than bashing, which hasn't worked, the Dems might try positive ideas moving forward. Maybe they should point out specific lines items to reduce costs in this year's budget as a positive start.
Funny, you point out the actual differences between what HF says and what is in the financial documents and suddenly you are accused of backing taxes. You are spinning like a top right now.
I do not presume to speak for the Democrats or Mr. Jacobus but why don't
1) we NOT move forward with Stockton since it will increase debt and incur Engineering fees and Solicitior Fees, etc. Just use the school.
2) Since the Boyer Avenue fields are are in disarray, why don't we move soccer to one of the schools to cut upkeep of Boyer Avenue
3) Reduce the coding department to part-time for everyone since there is not as much construction
4) Not fund the Hammonton Revitalization Corp and the Historical Commission
5) Combine our municipal court with neighboring towns along with the defender and the prosecutor
6) How about not moving forward with the purchase of the garage on Egg Harbor Road for downtown parking. We are issuing debt that was previously authorized and there will be engineering fees and remediation fees.
Funny, you point out the actual differences between what HF says and what is in the financial documents and suddenly you are accused of backing taxes. You are spinning like a top right now.
I do not presume to speak for the Democrats or Mr. Jacobus but why don't
1) we NOT move forward with Stockton since it will increase debt and incur Engineering fees and Solicitior Fees, etc. Just use the school.
2) Since the Boyer Avenue fields are are in disarray, why don't we move soccer to one of the schools to cut upkeep of Boyer Avenue
3) Reduce the coding department to part-time for everyone since there is not as much construction
4) Not fund the Hammonton Revitalization Corp and the Historical Commission
5) Combine our municipal court with neighboring towns along with the defender and the prosecutor
6) How about not moving forward with the purchase of the garage on Egg Harbor Road for downtown parking. We are issuing debt that was previously authorized and there will be engineering fees and remediation fees.
Question to HF defenders - did you read the 2/15 9:50 post on how to tell if someone is lying? Well you failed again because you are lying again. Why are you accusing democrats of wanting a tax increase? Is that in print somewhere? I didn't see it therefore it's not true. As far as above poster 1.) they need Stockton downtown to benefit their downtown properties tax breaks etc. 2.)They need to keep doing work on Boyer ave so they can incorporate work done to the bowling alley and use Boyer Ave as their excuse. 3.) you must have forgot our Mayor is a builder he needs those people their to keep other builders from coming to Hammonton 4.) can't do that too many Hammonton elite people would have to pay fines 5.) if the taxpayers had to pay for all the renovations to their downtown properties why not have the taxpayers pay for the parking lots so people can shop in their stores and they can make more money. How does parking downtown benefit the average taxpayer? How will Stockton benefit the average taxpayer? Notice they won't answer these questions. By the way why is it impossible to find out the cost of town hall and the senior center? In your list of bogus numbers you forgot to include the 3 million from the gas co.
Can Hammonton First specifically state which cuts to spending they have made? It seems as though that's all they do is spend money but nothing seems to benefit the taxpayers whose money they are spending.
If HF is trying to save money then how come most of the Mayor's appointments receive a paid salary from the town? How come they are not using our public High School for Stockton? Years ago ACCC used the High School and had to cancel the classes because of low enrollment. Will Stockton guarantee a full enrollment not counting the free English speaking classes? Will Stockton offer free Spanish speaking classes to the struggling taxpayers of Hammonton? Will these questions be truthfully answered by Hammonton First? Or will they keep talking about Trenton and keep spinning. Hope you don't get dizzy and fall over!
The town audit is the official audit report and it showed that the debt went down The admin of this blog also acknowledged that in a posting about a year ago. The report is open to the public so you can go to town hall to get it.
The bond rating of AA was given by Standard & Poor's, a highly respected agency.
It seems there is a difference of opinion. HF seems to want to keep government spending down and you want to spend more.
That is okay, the Obama Administration is spending billions more. You just have to justify to the people of Hammonton what all the extra spending you want is going to buy.
Can you specifically state which cuts to spending HF has done that you don't like?
Give us figures what the debt was and how much did it go down - actual numbers? S&P only goes by what you tell them. You say HF wants to keep spending down then why were they 6 million over budget on town hall and the senior center? Why did we need to renovate downtown properties not owned by the town? Why did we need to run water and sewer to the bowling alley? Why are you spending millions of taxpayer money to bring Stockton to Hammonton? You say they are keeping spending down but they aren't, they are redirecting the money to benefit them as explained above. Explain how does Stockton benefit the taxpayers who can't pay their gas or electric bills or better yet can afford prescription drugs? How will Stockton help with that? How will Stockton repave our roads and cut down all the trees along the roads that are falling down. How will Stokcton bring ratables and jobs to our town? If HF is trying to reduce spending then why not use our state of the art public high school? You keep avoiding these questions. SHOW US THE FIGURES!
The nice thing is that all the independent auditor's yearly report is openly available at town hall by just asking the town clerk's office.
The town budget is even posted on the town web site.
Rich Jacobus and the Dems have often written about town hall being way over budget but there is no data. The auditor continually shows the surplus savings increased and debt decreased.
Both the Democrats are really pushing hard for a tax increase. They are even trying to bring up the period of 2004 and 2005 when HF wasn't even in office.
Rather than bashing, which hasn't worked, the Dems might try positive ideas moving forward. Maybe they should point out specific lines items to reduce costs in this year's budget as a positive start.
Remember when Bill Clinton said I did not have sex with that women! Remember when John Edwards said that is not my child! Uh those rumors turned out to be the truth because both men were lying. Eventually people get caught up in their lies. This should be interesting to watch unfold.
The town audit is the official audit report and it showed that the debt went down The admin of this blog also acknowledged that in a posting about a year ago. The report is open to the public so you can go to town hall to get it.
The bond rating of AA was given by Standard & Poor's, a highly respected agency.
It seems there is a difference of opinion. HF seems to want to keep government spending down and you want to spend more.
That is okay, the Obama Administration is spending billions more. You just have to justify to the people of Hammonton what all the extra spending you want is going to buy.
Can you specifically state which cuts to spending HF has done that you don't like?
Give us figures what the debt was and how much did it go down - actual numbers? S&P only goes by what you tell them. You say HF wants to keep spending down then why were they 6 million over budget on town hall and the senior center? Why did we need to renovate downtown properties not owned by the town? Why did we need to run water and sewer to the bowling alley? Why are you spending millions of taxpayer money to bring Stockton to Hammonton? You say they are keeping spending down but they aren't, they are redirecting the money to benefit them as explained above. Explain how does Stockton benefit the taxpayers who can't pay their gas or electric bills or better yet can afford prescription drugs? How will Stockton help with that? How will Stockton repave our roads and cut down all the trees along the roads that are falling down. How will Stokcton bring ratables and jobs to our town? If HF is trying to reduce spending then why not use our state of the art public high school? You keep avoiding these questions. SHOW US THE FIGURES!
The nice thing is that all the independent auditor's yearly report is openly available at town hall by just asking the town clerk's office.
The town budget is even posted on the town web site.
Rich Jacobus and the Dems have often written about town hall being way over budget but there is no data. The auditor continually shows the surplus savings increased and debt decreased.
Both the Democrats are really pushing hard for a tax increase. They are even trying to bring up the period of 2004 and 2005 when HF wasn't even in office.
Rather than bashing, which hasn't worked, the Dems might try positive ideas moving forward. Maybe they should point out specific lines items to reduce costs in this year's budget as a positive start.
Remember when Bill Clinton said I did not have sex with that women! Remember when John Edwards said that is not my child! Uh those rumors turned out to be the truth because both men were lying. Eventually people get caught up in their lies. This should be interesting to watch unfold.
You have a point, Democrats Bill Clinton and John Edwards did turn out to be lying. But it isn't fair to automatically assume that because the Democrats at the Federal level are lying that means the Democrats at the local level are lying too.
I don' think Democrats have said anything. A HF-supporter said the audits showed debt went down and surplus went up. A skeptic showed specifically in the audit where debt went up and surplus went down.
Then a HF-supporter called this bashing and asked for specific cuts. Then someone recommended specific cuts.
Again, I don't think anyone was speaking for any of the parties.
I don' think Democrats have said anything. A HF-supporter said the audits showed debt went down and surplus went up. A skeptic showed specifically in the audit where debt went up and surplus went down.
Then a HF-supporter called this bashing and asked for specific cuts. Then someone recommended specific cuts.
Again, I don't think anyone was speaking for any of the parties.
Doesn't make a difference who said what HF will always criticize the local Democrats because that's there way of avoiding answering very important questions. As far as a HF supporter giving all this info I wonder if it was the supporter who took all that money? Well would anyone put their trust in a crook? Didn't he make a donation with that money and then deduct it from his income tax? Didn't our Mayor put this same person in charge of all the downtown money? Oh and wasn't it Republican George Bush who put this country in a severe financial hardship over a vendetta? People who live in glass houses should not throw stones!
Can Hammonton First specifically state which cuts to spending they have made? It seems as though that's all they do is spend money but nothing seems to benefit the taxpayers whose money they are spending.
Hey honest, truthful and trustworthy HF why aren't you answering this question?
The town audit is the official audit report and it showed that the debt went down The admin of this blog also acknowledged that in a posting about a year ago. The report is open to the public so you can go to town hall to get it.
The bond rating of AA was given by Standard & Poor's, a highly respected agency.
It seems there is a difference of opinion. HF seems to want to keep government spending down and you want to spend more.
That is okay, the Obama Administration is spending billions more. You just have to justify to the people of Hammonton what all the extra spending you want is going to buy.
Can you specifically state which cuts to spending HF has done that you don't like?
Give us figures what the debt was and how much did it go down - actual numbers? S&P only goes by what you tell them. You say HF wants to keep spending down then why were they 6 million over budget on town hall and the senior center? Why did we need to renovate downtown properties not owned by the town? Why did we need to run water and sewer to the bowling alley? Why are you spending millions of taxpayer money to bring Stockton to Hammonton? You say they are keeping spending down but they aren't, they are redirecting the money to benefit them as explained above. Explain how does Stockton benefit the taxpayers who can't pay their gas or electric bills or better yet can afford prescription drugs? How will Stockton help with that? How will Stockton repave our roads and cut down all the trees along the roads that are falling down. How will Stokcton bring ratables and jobs to our town? If HF is trying to reduce spending then why not use our state of the art public high school? You keep avoiding these questions. SHOW US THE FIGURES!
The nice thing is that all the independent auditor's yearly report is openly available at town hall by just asking the town clerk's office.
The town budget is even posted on the town web site.
Rich Jacobus and the Dems have often written about town hall being way over budget but there is no data. The auditor continually shows the surplus savings increased and debt decreased.
Both the Democrats are really pushing hard for a tax increase. They are even trying to bring up the period of 2004 and 2005 when HF wasn't even in office.
Rather than bashing, which hasn't worked, the Dems might try positive ideas moving forward. Maybe they should point out specific lines items to reduce costs in this year's budget as a positive start.
Remember when Bill Clinton said I did not have sex with that women! Remember when John Edwards said that is not my child! Uh those rumors turned out to be the truth because both men were lying. Eventually people get caught up in their lies. This should be interesting to watch unfold.
You have a point, Democrats Bill Clinton and John Edwards did turn out to be lying. But it isn't fair to automatically assume that because the Democrats at the Federal level are lying that means the Democrats at the local level are lying too.
Funny, you point out the actual differences between what HF says and what is in the financial documents and suddenly you are accused of backing taxes. You are spinning like a top right now.
I do not presume to speak for the Democrats or Mr. Jacobus but why don't
1) we NOT move forward with Stockton since it will increase debt and incur Engineering fees and Solicitior Fees, etc. Just use the school.
2) Since the Boyer Avenue fields are are in disarray, why don't we move soccer to one of the schools to cut upkeep of Boyer Avenue
3) Reduce the coding department to part-time for everyone since there is not as much construction
4) Not fund the Hammonton Revitalization Corp and the Historical Commission
5) Combine our municipal court with neighboring towns along with the defender and the prosecutor
6) How about not moving forward with the purchase of the garage on Egg Harbor Road for downtown parking. We are issuing debt that was previously authorized and there will be engineering fees and remediation fees.
You forgot the tax assessors office. If HF will never raise taxes as long as they are in office and if their is no building going on because of the poor economy then why do you need a full time tax assessor with a full time secretary? Dah?
