Just For Kicks and Giggles

A mercantile license fee will make things more expensive for the consumer.

Ok, let’s do the math. Numbers don’t lie, people do.

Just for kicks and giggles let’s use round numbers for those that hate math like me.

Residents pay 82% of the municipal budget; businesses shoulder 16% of the budget. That’s not only disproportionate, it’s just not fair!

Large anchor stores: Target/Wal-Mart/Sears $2,000 per year

Large corporations: Hill International/Davis Enterprises/Parker McCay $2,000 per year

Now, let’s divide $2000 by 365 days in the year. The survey says $5.47 a day.

Target/Wal-Mart/Sears will pass on this giant $5.47 a day increase to the consumer? Let’s do the math, even if, each store added 1 cent to 547 products, which, in any of these stores, one register can ring in a day. That’s an absurd thought, not going to happen.

Let’s talk about Hill International/Davis Enterprises/Parker McCay, same numbers apply. It would be virtually impossible for these corporations to even justify passing on $5.47 to consumers. Quantify it this way, if Parker McCay has a monthly retainer in Evesham of $7,500, which translates into $250.00 per day (without billing for extras) and Davis Enterprises owns the Promenade, Allison Apts., Sagemore, the Weston Club, etc. I am sure the $5.47 doesn’t pay for Starbucks for two of the owners. Justify passing it on to the consumer, not possible. Same applies for Hill and all other large corporations doing business in Evesham.

Let’s face it, they benefit from the location, Evesham is the center of the “money” towns.

It’s about time, we as taxpayers get a break, without breaking our backs.

Hypocrisy Is Alive and Well in Evesham

The following is a press release sent out by Republican Club President/Evesham Republican County Committee VP, Dennis Dugan, whom also sits on the Zoning Board, is a Commissioner of the taxing body the MUA (thanks for the 30% raise in my water bill) and sits on the Board of the Burlington County Board of Social Services (Is that a paying job?)

hypocrite:
1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.

The red is my commentary.

EVESHAM REPUBLICAN CLUB
P.O. Box 82
Marlton, NJ 08053


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Dennis Dugan
March 2, 2006 (856) 596-5131

EVESHAM REPUBLICAN CLUB OPPOSES STEALTH SALES TAX INITIATIVE

Republican Club Strongly Opposes the Creation of a New Tax Since when?

Marlton - Evesham Republican Club President Dennis Dugan today expressed dismay Why is Dennis dismayed? Maybe because the Republican brain trusts in charge didn't come up with this or that actual thought was put into the budget process to try and save taxpayers money at a recent proposal by Councilman Mike Schmidt to create a business privilege fee, which is equivalent to a stealth sales tax.
Really now, it surely would be better to tax the residents as usual.

A tax by any other name is still a tax, Yes Dennis, that is true, deferring 8 million dollars is not a savings to the tax payer, but you are deferring the inevitable and the taxpayers pay the freight as our municipal taxes go higher and higher. Does 32 cents to 48 cents in the last 5 years ring a bell? said Dugan.Does Councilman Schmidt believe that by taxing businesses, they will not pass this additional burden onto consumers? Other towns not only do this, but it works quite well and no, the burden is still not shifted to the taxpayer or deferred until next year. This proposal is a sneaky way to implement a new tax Who is sneaking, this is right out there for the people. Sneaky is deferring school taxes to have a 0 budget increase and then telling the taxpayer's this is a good thing. which is not only anti-consumer; it would also have a detrimental effect on economic development in the township. Economic development? God I hope so, isn't Evesham large enough?! This proposal is nothing more than the creation of a stealth sales tax.

I wonder if Councilman Schmidt has considered how many Evesham residents also patronize local businesses and would be affected by this brand new tax, concluded Dugan. The Evesham Republican Club strongly opposes the creation of a stealth sales tax, disguised as a business privilege fee Let's face it Dennis, not only did you not write this, but the only thing you people are really worried about is not thinking of it first and God forbid your pay to play fundraisers paid for by the vendors may be a little lighter next year. Give it a rest.

Wean yourself from deferrals?

Oh please, I sincerely hope this is a joke, 8 million dollars is sufficient enough dept via school deferrals. Why defer, because it's the easy answer. I challenge the mayor and council to do better for the taxpayer. This story appeared in the BCT today
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/112-03012006-619832.html

Special Saturday Council Meeting

The Mayor & Council will hold a special council meeting this Saturday, March the 4th at 9:00 am. Early and a Saturday, gee, think they really want anyone there. I sincerely doubt it. Hopefully Gus and friends have had enough time to figure out a special, extra, double secret plan to hoodwink the tax payer into believing that another deferment of school taxes is the way to go, or better yet, maybe we could continue to rape the MUA like the golf course. Look how well that turned out.

I can't wait to see if anyone other than Mike Schmidt has a plan. Maybe, Gus and gang can use his plans for next year and call them their own.

It's time for our tax dollars to be spent on people that actually can think without the help of those dipping into our pockets. It's shut up or put up time.

Bleak, but Not Hopeless

I attended last night’s council meeting and was surprised in more ways than one. We taxpayers have paid for the sins of past councils for years, this is nothing new, robbing Peter to pay Paul has been the magic tool to create 0 budget increases, especially in an election year, without a care as to where the money comes from or what impact it will have later. This is voodoo economics and surely not the way to run a multi-million dollar corporation. The following are high and low points of last nights meeting.

HIGH

Councilman Schmidt and Councilwoman Sarcone actually brought ideas to the table.

LOW

No other council members had anything to add but negativity regarding the new Council members’ ideas.

HIGH

Councilman Schmidt offered a 5 point plan which included as his number one item to stop the practice of deferring school board taxes. He offered for a first, for Evesham to get out of the real estate business by selling off Twp. owned property that has no “strategic” value to Evesham. He also offered up combining the Planning & Zoning Boards to create a land-use board as other Townships have done at build out. He proposed to put limits on when the Township can use a professional and set spending caps for priority use, project management or other less critical requests. Councilman Schmidt also proposed a business privilege fee for commercial businesses with a codicil that this would be a dedicated fee for use only for defraying the costs of police, fire and Evesham road repair and/or maintenance. I believe Radnor Twp. did something similar here is their plan. www.Radnor.com/government/finance/bpt.html


Councilwoman Sarcone offered to cut 2 cents from the dedicated 3 cents for open space for this year only as a way to generate income. She also wanted to have the MUA give the Township a lump sum of money or “gift” for budget bail out.

LOW

The Mayor, the Deputy Mayor and our newest Councilwoman Olt added nothing of value. The actual dept for deferred school taxes in a whooping $8,000,000.
Everyone that contributed nothing, did nothing, other than rip apart Schmidt and Sarcone’s ideas.

In order to balance a budget, we must do something other than rely on the past to predict the future. We can no longer put a band-aid on a gaping wound.

School Board Vacancy Filled

So the School Board filled their vacancy. Lisa Mansfield is a nice person and I wish her well. Unfortunately, 14 people showed interest in the open position, in typical BOE fashion 5 were given interviews. One of those 5 was a courtesy.

What does that mean, 9 people where overlooked for whatever reason and 4 where seriously considered. That is not only pathetic, but a slap in the face of those nine Township residents, that I am sure, where not only competent, but qualified.

It just goes to show, nothing really changes, but change is inevitable.

Nice Shot!

Okay, so we non-liberals are happy about the man killed by Air marshals, well, maybe happy isn't the word, but I will not mourn the loss. We set up a system for counter terrorism and it worked. Sorry the guy was off his meds, but then don't fly, drive. Finally a clear mark that 9-11 measures are working. No more flights downed in Pennsylvania fields because passengers had the balls to do the right thing. Let's face it, it could have been the White House had it not been for the hero's of that fateful flight.

This is good, a step in the right direction. America should take a page out of Israel's book when it comes to air safety. No hidden guns, the protectors are there for all to see. A Glock is a pretty good deterrent. Shoot first, ask questions later. Works for me.