JohnPinho
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Posts posted by JohnPinho
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County tax, school budget, debt service and pension payment (items 1,2
3 & 5) information is easily obtained from the town treasurer or business
administrator
If they are easily obtained from the town treasurer or business administrator, why aren't they published (posted) on the town's website? The Mayor called for a discussion but I have to go and pay for copies of the documents. Give the public the documents that the finance committee has when it looks at the budge. It is all public information correct?
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As a CPA with some experience in municipalities, I'd like to offer the following:
Municipal property taxes are driven by 5 major items; 1) County taxes,
2) School budget, 3) Debt service, 4) Salaries (including health benefits), and
5) Pension payments. Everything else is incidental and doesn't mean much.
The mayor has basically no control over numbers 1, 2, 3 and 5. Number 4
(salaries and benefits) is the only one the mayor can lower. In order to
lower the taxes in any appreciable amount, the mayor and council would have
to lay off a large number of employees. How many police, fire and other town
workers would you like to see laid off ? What municipal services are you willing
to give up ? Do you think the residents would support a large layoff of police,
fire and municipal workers ? I personally don't think so. It's easy to sit back
and criticise the mayor and blame him for the taxes but the facts don't support
your criticism.
Dear CPA:
The Mayor has been asking for input on the budget. He has stated that he is surprised at the lack of public input. As I stated in my Letter to the Editor which was published in the Observer, give us (the Kearny residents) the financial detail and we will give you (the Mayor) some ideas. The Mayor has not rushed to put the financials on the town's website. That speaks louder than anyone could on this forum or at a town meeting. Since you have purported expertise in the field (municipal budgets), you could assist in finding cost savings if you had the line-item detail. You state that "the facts don't support ... [the] criticism". What facts? We have no facts because the Mayor asked for input but didn't give us the details so how are we suppose to discuss the facts. He is hiding the facts. Why? If you have nothing to hide, open up the books and let's see if we can stop the ever increasing property taxes.
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For example, Kearny has a full-time Tax Collector, full-time Assistant Tax Collector, as well as various clerks and cashiers in the Tax Collector’s office. Their job is to send out tax bills and collect the revenue. Yet we’re paying well over $300,000 a year to United Water to perform this same function for water bills, except that United also reads the water meters. I brought up this as an alternative to the 2004 water rate increase, but it was never investigated or even discussed (probably because the idea originated from John Pinho).
While lay-offs may not be the answer, the real answer is out there. It just needs more debate and discussion to draw it out. And a Mayor and Council willing to listen.
Jim Mangin
Jim,
It's nice that you gave me credit for the idea that the Town of Kearny could save money (a reported $300,000 per year) if it simply did its own water and sewer reading and billing. The Town currently outsources the billing to United Water. I pointed out years ago at a council meeting that United Water wasn't doing the job they were hired to do-- reading the residents water meters on a regular basis. I personally had to call recently to have my meter read. My bill was estimated for years. Kearny residents should check their United Water bill to see if it states that the meter reading is estimated. Check the counter on your meter and you may be entitled to a refund. Call United Water and see who shows up to read your meter.
My question then and now is "Why are we paying $300,000 to a company who is not doing half of the job that they were hired to do?" Why can't we set up a billing program, transfer the data from United Water, and take over the billing. Don't hire any additional personnel. There are plenty of people in the water department now to do the job.
John Pinho
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Both Senator Lautenberg and Corzine mention the Kuehne Chemical plant as examples in their testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
I have urged the Mayor and council to make this their top priority. In my opinion, there is no reason why this plant cannot be retrofitted in the same manner as the Kuehne Delaware plant. It has been almost three years since the Wall Street Journal Article was published. As I stated in my Letter to the Editor published in the Observer, a New York Times reporter did what my friends Frank Ferreira and Rosa Alves did almost three years ago and had a very similar result. Frank & Rosa's video is still available online. It clearly shows the vunerability of the plant. Senators Lautenberg and Corzine mention the same facts in their testimony. I believe that even the Republicans in Congress cannot vote against a loan to Kuehne Chemical to retrofit their plant. The residents of Kearny deserve as much respect as the residents of Delaware. This issue is a Kearny issue. Although Mayor Santos agreed with me that Kuehne must be addressed, he suggested only that we write our federal officials. I agree in part but Senator Corzine and Lautenberg know the facts already and have been fighting for us already. What we need is to think outside the box. I suggested at the council meeting that the Mayor and Council meet with officials of Kuehne Chemical and ask them what they need to increase their security. What funding do they need? What are they willing to do to retrofit the plant? What will it cost? Then go and put together funding to accomplish the task. This can be a model for other chemical plants throughout NJ and the United States. The terrorist attacks have changed our capitalist system as it relates to chemical plants. We must have a modified capitalist system where Government is a partner in chemical companies.
John M. Pinho
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Sure I'm clueless. What about the rail cars that hold those chemicals that are left unattended ? What about the trucks that get the chemicals to those plants ? I guess the chemical plants all arm Conrail employees and truck drivers with automatic weapons. What about the gas station on the corner ? The accident in India ? Lack of goverment safety controls. This country regulates too much now. Maybe we should start telling companies how to run their business so more jobs can go overseas. Does PSEG have armed guards at the generating stations in J.C.,South Kearny ? I highly doubt it but it could all have the same deadly results. But hell I'll be clueless and desire attention while the goverment regulates our lives to the point where we have to be told what to do and when to do it. But listen to Frankie F. he'll lead you right into the fires of hell. While your at it seal off your homes with plastic and duct tape and in a short time your oxygen will be depleted and you'll be dead anyway. But hey lets harp on the chemical plants because they're the only target right now. I'm clueless but I'm a realist. I guess the chemicals are just created at these plants and dispersed magically to the consumer. If these targets are attacks I can bet it won't be at a plant. Hey Frank is it election time again ? Mayor Al would love to kick your butt again.
RobB,
What Frank & Rosa found down at the Kuehne Plant and I was down there with them on one occasion was that there was no security. There was less security than there was outside my law office and I do not store dangerous chemicals. The idea behind the Corzine bill is to provide a uniform level of security and assistance to the chemical industry. Nobody is saying they should close down, however, they should be secure. Mr. Kuehne, Sr. (who died in a plane crash last year) lived in Asheville, North Carolina. Have you ever been in Asheville, North Carolina. Pristine Blue Mountains. He had a corporate jet which unfortunately crashed. Kuehne has two plants, one in South Kearny and another in Delaware. (Notice: Asheville North Carolina is as far away from South Kearny and Delaware as you can be and still be on the East Coast). Kuehne retrofitted and moderinzed their Delaware plant to keep only enough chlorine on hand for production purposes but not their South Kearny Plant. I live too close to the plant to not be concerned about making sure that all that can be done within reason is. But for Senator Corzine, I see no leadership from our governor, our mayor, or freeholder. Senator Corzine went so far as to criticize our governor. Do you think Corzine (who lives in Hoboken) knows something we don't? He knows enough to know that Frank & Rosa should be thanked not attacked.
I have not been down there recently but I understand that my tax dollars are paying for private security (Kearny Police Officers) to this multi-million(?) dollar company. Why?
John M. Pinho
Mayor Santos running out of excuses?
in Kearny
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Paul,
"open up the books" in the context of my post meant "post the information on the web so its easily available to the public". In this internet age, if the Mayor is serious about wanting our input he should put all the town's public financial data on the town's website.