Analyzing municipal services, determining how to make them more efficient and then lowering property taxes is a great thing.
The end result of an analysis might be not changing a thing, that the service should be privatized, that it might need to use part-time employees, or it might mean sharing services. Sharing services is a broad term that can include sharing employees and/or capital assets.
All of these choices, though, have associated costs, i.e. property taxes.
And each of these choices along with the cost provide a value to taxpayers.
We all have a certain level of value we demand and expect with the “purchases” we make with our taxes. It is critically important for elected officials like Senate President Sweeney to understand that it is the peoples’ choice to decide how much they want to pay in taxes and the level of services they receive.
Using his self-proclaimed “stick approach” is backwards insofar as legislation should be working with municipal leaders to come up with ways to reduce service costs. Bill S2 wants to use the Local Unit Alignment, Reorganization, and Consolidation Commission (LAUARCC) to make mandatory recommendations. And if the municipal government doesn’t adopt or if the voters “say no,” then taxpayers get punished through a mandatory reduction in municipal income which in turn could result in an increase in property taxes.
Why not use an approach that tries to understand the attitude of the local officials and residents? Ask them what they want, show them study results and bring them along with the report findings arm and arm. Tax ayers are smart people who, if you tell them the truth, show them the big picture, and if the proposal provides better value than what they have now, then they will vote yes. If it isn’t a better deal, then they of course will vote “no,” and shouldn’t be penalized for it.
Use the carrot stick – not the hardwood stick approach – to more efficient government.
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Scott Alexander is the former Republican mayor of Haddon Heights, New Jersey.
Where do the citizens of towns make the choices for the taxes they pay. We have had ours raised for the last few years. Our city doesn't even put minutes and agenda online so you can be informed as to whats going on at these council meetings.