Township Council president outlines fiscal strategy

When Gov. Corzine called this week for a four percent cap on municipal budgets it brought a smile to my face because it sounded like he was taking a page from our playbook on the Brick Township Council. My fellow council members and I have been working diligently to achieve minimal budget growth already and we are pleased to see that the state wants to encourage other towns to act similarly.

Our goal is twofold.

First, we want to cut unnecessary or redundant expenses wherever we find them and secondly we plan to slow, to a crawl, the growth of government spending. We also recognize that we must achieve these goals within the context of providing all the essential and required services that our citizens require.

While both of these fiscal goals are difficult, I believe the Brick Township Council team is up to the task. And, I am proud of the fact that some of the actions we have undertaken in the last few weeks and months are starting to pay dividends resulting in significant long-term and short-term savings.

For example, we reduced the dollar value of certain township legal contracts this year, a move that will save the taxpayers more than $100,000 this year alone. Our insurance costs for the township, just like for businesses and individuals, are enormous.

By paying attention to details and focusing on the bottom line, I think we can continue to generate real and substantive savings for the taxpayers of Brick Township.

I am also pleased to see that township residents continue with their commitment to recycle. This too is a cost savings. The math is simple - less trash in the garbage cans translates directly into less tipping fees at the landfill. That saves us money. This commitment on the part of all of us is a way we can all make our own individual contributions to stabilizing our taxes.

Finally, as we move forward this year, I promise we will do more. Opportunities for sound fiscal decision-making must be exploited whenever possible and not just at budget time. Our council members and I are committed to monitoring township spending to insure that nothing is missed and that there are no unplanned surprises at the end of the budget year.

My governing philosophy is really quite straightforward.

We must provide the services our taxpayers want and need, within the confines of sound fiscal management policies and minimal or zero tax increases. That is our job and our responsibility. It is what we were elected to do. And if we succeed, we will protect and enhance the quality of life for all our residents.

Steve Acropolis

Brick Township

Council president