Runaway city taxes must be addressed

Being analytical about the huge property tax issues affecting our city and state is necessary for an eventual solution. Being a grown-up about it is something we need to do in government if we're going to address the real causes of runaway city taxes.

Engaging in a name-calling campaign is a childish insult to taxpayers. They are smart. They understand that it's a tactic designed to move people's attention off the real issue. We should debate facts and move on to solutions, and stop the silly name-calling.

Long Branch is on the front page again with the highest employee payouts for unused sick and vacation days in all of Monmouth County, a whopping $10.4 million that has to be paid by city taxpayers. Middletown — a municipality roughly twice the size of Long Branch — has incurred only $6.6 million, 40 percent less than us! And we don't even audit this contractual liability, and we don't audit other post-retirement contractual benefits that cost our taxpayers millions of dollars. We should.

Mayor Schneider's response in the Atlanticville last week was: "It's not a huge number." Is he saying that 20 percent of the city budget is not a huge number? I wouldn't call him a liar for it, but he's clearly mistaken or misleading.

True, my research did not initially uncover that New Jersey's bizarre second-rate financial accounting system is mandated for cities and towns by the archaic "local budget law" N.J.S.A. 40A:4, a dinosaur holdover from the Great Depression. But I was correct that this second-rate accounting system is shunned by almost every single state in the nation except New Jersey. Why?

Is it because it allows cities like Long Branch to obscure millions of dollars in spending by simply "footnoting" it in the annual audit? Is it related to pay-toplay and other forms of political corruption by allowing "funny money" to hide in the public budget documents? We need answers to these questions.

Things have to change, and one of the first things we need to do in city hall is pressure our state legislators to allow waivers from N.J.S.A. 41A:4 and let us utilize the strictest, most professional accounting standards out there — known as GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles). City Councilman Michael DeStefano knows this. He's an accountant. He's been in city hall for 20 years. I am ready to work with him and every other city councilperson to draft legislation to cap the millions of dollars being wasted on lush employee benefits.

Our citizens can't wait any longer.
Brian Unger
Member
Long Branch City Council