State legislators have done nothing to help us

[Guest By Kevin Canessa Jr.]

Massa: State legislators have done nothing to help us

By Kevin Canessa Jr.

Observer Editor

NORTH ARLINGTON — Saying he is disappointed in the responses the Borough is getting from Trenton, Mayor Peter Massa has made it clear he believes the state is largely responsible for the Borough’s fiscal woes — and he wants the state to step up and provide financial aid.

The borough faces a $1.5-million shortfall in its budget, largely because of increased pension payments and the failure of the EnCap project to provide expected revenue to the Borough. EnCap is the massive housing complex that was slated to be built in eastern portion of the Borough, over old landfills.

With the state budget all but finalized, and the chance for the Borough to get increased state aid to offset lost EnCap revenue, Massa said he will make a special appeal to the governor.

My message to the governor is simply this: The State of New Jersey, through its Local Finance Board and through the New Jersey Meadowlands commission continued to push the EnCap project along and never bothered to inform this community of the financial difficulty that EnCap was facing,” Massa said. “The state bears a big responsibility in this matter for failing to be the watchdog the communities need.”

Massa’s request of Gov. Jon Corzine, D-Hoboken, may, however, fall on deaf ears. The governor has said he will not endorse any requests to bail out local municipalities.

Despite that, state Sen. Paul Sarlo, D-36, has requested $750,000 in extraordinary aid for the Borough. That figure is only a portion of what the Borough had asked Sarlo to ask for. However, on the state assembly side, Assemblyman Gary Schaer, D-36, filed a request for the entire $1.5 million needed to cut the budget shortfall.

If Corzine doesn’t sign off on the requests, North Arlington taxpayers could be looking forward to one of the Borough’s most expensive tax hikes in history.

Council President Steve Tanelli and Councilman Al Granell say they are both disappointed that the state’s legislative leaders don’t grasp the severity of the problems North Arlington taxpayers could face.

“We aren’t asking the state for a handout. We are asking the state to help rectify a calamity it helped create,” Tanelli said. “We need to get the ear of Gov. Corzine and senate President Dick Codey and ask them to help us the way some other municipalities and institutions have been helped.”

Granell said North Arlington’s case is a special circumstance that deserves consideration.

“We have a situation in North Arlington, in which a highly questionable project was pushed along by Trenton for years. In the last few months, the plan has begun to unravel. The state can’t penalize the Borough taxpayers for a development boondoggle that was sanctioned by the state,” Granell said.

Massa said North Arlington residents are getting cheated out of the tax relief promised them by the governor and legislature.

“When the legislature raised the sales tax last year, it promised homeowners, like those in North Arlington, that they would get tax relief. It doesn’t look like North Arlington is getting what was promised,” Massa said.

[Guest Guest]

Massa: State legislators have done nothing to help us

By Kevin Canessa Jr.

Observer Editor

NORTH ARLINGTON — Saying he is disappointed in the responses the Borough is getting from Trenton, Mayor Peter Massa has made it clear he believes the state is largely responsible for the Borough’s fiscal woes — and he wants the state to step up and provide financial aid.

The borough faces a $1.5-million shortfall in its budget, largely because of increased pension payments and the failure of the EnCap project to provide expected revenue to the Borough. EnCap is the massive housing complex that was slated to be built in eastern portion of the Borough, over old landfills.

With the state budget all but finalized, and the chance for the Borough to get increased state aid to offset lost EnCap revenue, Massa said he will make a special appeal to the governor.

My message to the governor is simply this: The State of New Jersey, through its Local Finance Board and through the New Jersey Meadowlands commission continued to push the EnCap project along and never bothered to inform this community of the financial difficulty that EnCap was facing,” Massa said. “The state bears a big responsibility in this matter for failing to be the watchdog the communities need.”

Massa’s request of Gov. Jon Corzine, D-Hoboken, may, however, fall on deaf ears. The governor has said he will not endorse any requests to bail out local municipalities.

Despite that, state Sen. Paul Sarlo, D-36, has requested $750,000 in extraordinary aid for the Borough. That figure is only a portion of what the Borough had asked Sarlo to ask for. However, on the state assembly side, Assemblyman Gary Schaer, D-36, filed a request for the entire $1.5 million needed to cut the budget shortfall.

If Corzine doesn’t sign off on the requests, North Arlington taxpayers could be looking forward to one of the Borough’s most expensive tax hikes in history.

Council President Steve Tanelli and Councilman Al Granell say they are both disappointed that the state’s legislative leaders don’t grasp the severity of the problems North Arlington taxpayers could face.

“We aren’t asking the state for a handout. We are asking the state to help rectify a calamity it helped create,” Tanelli said. “We need to get the ear of Gov. Corzine and senate President Dick Codey and ask them to help us the way some other municipalities and institutions have been helped.”

Granell said North Arlington’s case is a special circumstance that deserves consideration.

“We have a situation in North Arlington, in which a highly questionable project was pushed along by Trenton for years. In the last few months, the plan has begun to unravel. The state can’t penalize the Borough taxpayers for a development boondoggle that was sanctioned by the state,” Granell said.

Massa said North Arlington residents are getting cheated out of the tax relief promised them by the governor and legislature.

“When the legislature raised the sales tax last year, it promised homeowners, like those in North Arlington, that they would get tax relief. It doesn’t look like North Arlington is getting what was promised,” Massa said.

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Doesn't this belong on the North Arlington site???