Have you ever looked at a municipal budget? If so, what year was it?

Nobody reads the budget. Its designed to confused and hide the details. I just tried reading last year's budget and look what's there:

The requested URL /news/2011/2011AdoptedBudget.pdf was not found on this server.

The last budget I read from Fair Lawn was the 2011 budget, and it loaded up with waste. Many of the functions we in source should be put through the RFP process. Many of the budget items should be eliminated. But the political "leaders" we have and those before them have been successful in separating the cost from the benefit in the mind of the voter. That's changing.

What part of the budget did you find particularly wasteful? Besides the usual things you find wasteful.

Benjamin,

It's not confusing. Majority of locally elected officials have no "big" financial background. It's basically a line item budget.

What were the payroll admin costs? No benefits for employees? How many employees do you think the Rec Dept has? Rec Center? Forget it. I outlined 900 ways to Sunday how it's not going anywhere. Same with the pool. And to be taken seriously, "Ganz Mahal" is not very nice and should come from an immature person only. Define "inflated"? Post some facts and figures. You keep harping on items that are not going to change. They wouldn't change even if YOU were elected. You'd be strung up so fast by the residents in this town, you wouldn't know what hit you. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

I agree it would be a hard pill to sallow to realize the loss the Community Center represents. Given the current economics, it may not be wise. That said, I'm particularly fond of the lost cookie's nickname for it, it reminds us of who made that happen.

I am going from memory here, but it was $210k on the just the Rec Super and the Assistant Super, before benefits. I have heard they spend over $400k including a typist, what ever that is.

The pool costs $100s of thousands each year more than we collect. I suspect we don't talk about how much other towns pay us to allow their residents in since those towns don't subsidize use of Memorial Pool at all. Why arn't our pools run it the way Dumont does? Give the not-for-profit Walsh pool too, if the people who use it don't want to pay for it, shut it down. Its not politics, its economics.

We have a clerk that makes $145k+, Glen Rock's makes $75k, I know its an important position, but is the job twice as hard in Fair Lawn? Let's not forget the assistant clerk makes $90k, who happens to share a last name with another borough employee who makes a few dollars more.

Its not the residents that would string me up, its the people who would stop benefiting from the plunder who would be after me (metaphorically, I hope).

TP- have you been to the rec center, specifically the John Cosgrove Gymnasium? The thing was named after him and hes good friends with the staff, you think hes going to cut his friends 120k salaries to 80k?
thats not even a personal shot at mr cosgrove, ive met him before and seems to be a great guy. its like that everywhere though, not just fair lawn. jobs and salaries are based on who you know what you know.
considering the majority of our borough employees are connected through friends and family its tough to make necessary cuts because of personal relationships.
just about everyone i know in the private sector has had to take pay cuts or had to take on additional responsibilities these past 5 years. i honestly dont understand why the public sector is immune to this

@REC It doesn't bother you that we all pay for it and he get his name on it? It doesn't bother you that when most of go to work our employers voluntarily pay us, and Mr Cosgrove directs money taken under threat of force to his friends? What is he Tony Soprano?

I have a few employees that work for me, I didn't know some of them before they were hired, but the ones I didn't weren't paid extra.

Nepotism and cronyism should be weeded out. Its usually illegal, and its always immoral. Doing the right thing is not always easy, but it the mark a great (wo)man. The public sector is immune to this because politicians have generalized the plunder and have people thinking we are benefiting. Wake up.

Mr Cosgrove, we know you read the patch, we have seen you here, we'd love to hear your thoughts on these allegations. Maybe one of the Republican Club members, Brent, Sina Brothers, Mr Dunay? Thoughts, Comments?

Cindy,

Your first point is a good one, the second is a precedent you don't want to set.

The mayor mentioned limiting garbage collection during the summer months at the budget wrap. I believe it will be discussed at a future meeting.

Cindy, I've lived in a town where you had to contract your own garbage collection. It was expensive for each resident-- and this was in PA, where things are a lot cheaper. Leaving aside the traffic consequences and the mess, I just don't see how it could save taxpayers money. $60-$80 a month, and that was 10 years ago, in PA, adds up pretty quickly.

Then our auto insurance goes up! Gee thanks Cindy

Zak, I know an owner of a carting company,we have a good deal as it is. The town would not save a dime.In the summer we are basically paying for 1/2 days. What you suggest would have us paying for 1 full day,no savings.

Here is a better question, why should the public sector compete against the private sector?

They don't. I said why should they be any different.

Well, the private sector has been skimping line workers and customers in order to pay out mega top level salaries and stock profits for years now. I don't see that that's the way we want to go-- we would be the customers!
I think letting go of some civic snobbery and doing more joint services with other towns would be the way to go-- but they would have to let go of some civic snobbery too. Plus, people would want to change the way they do things, and that's difficult.

The public sector in Fair Lawn competes with the private sector in several ways. The BOE competes against private and parochial schools, Memorial Pool competes against various Ys, like those that employee the (D)s on the council, unfortunately, I could go on.

In a free society, nobody is force to work for anybody else. This idea of "skimping" is nothing more then class warfare rhetoric. No business should employee more people then it needs to, nor should it be providing services that it doesn't make a profit on. The point of having a business is to make money. Employees are business too, they sell the product of their time and services. Since business compete, and have incentive to be efficient, they are always cheaper than government when all things are considered. Its just human nature.

The reason towns don't share services has nothing to do with snobbery. It wouldn't matter to most people if our Borough Manager were a dedicated employee or a regional employee shared with a few town like the health department. It wouldn't matter if our clerks were pooled with other towns. It wouldn't matter to most people if our police force was shared with Glen Rock. It would matter to the politicians who loose their power and influence.

That's the worst idea I have heard in a long time. Just adjust the salaries down to market rate. If they don't like it, they can work somewhere else.

Sure. Big morale booster. That's a rather barbaric way of cutting costs.

I guess New Slogan was right after all "Fair Lawn Republicans we make the tough decisions- as long as they are not our friends"

TP, the worst idea you heard in a long time? Well let me tell you that you heard it just a few days ago. You seemed to be all for it then, but of course it was towards a different class of people. I copied and pasted the words of School Board President Michael Rosenberg only I substituted the word "manager" for "custodian". Not many thought that was such a barbaric way of cutting costs. In fact a majority of the informal poll on that post seemed to be in favor of firing the custodial staff to outsource it. In fact I was being kind. Rosenberg told the custodians if they were rehired to do their same job under Aramark their health benefits may also not be as good as they now have.

@BellairBerdan Nice try, I am sure you think we walked into a trap and you think that you have highlighted us as evil rich Republicans.

The janitors in the school perform a service, they are grossly overpaid, the market values that over payment at about 1/2 million dollars. The taxpayer should not be ripped off this year, just because we were last year.

I advocate dealing with the rec staff (including the Super and the Assistant Super), pool staff and other areas where people can compete for the jobs the same way.

The way you took that quote without the balance of the context left people with the impression that you would simply fire everyone first, then offer them the same job back for 1/2. The janitors contract was up. They demanded way more than the market rate. Not agreeing to renew their contract above market rate is not firing them. Allowing them to compete for the positions is not fair to everyone else, but it acknowledges there is some value to continuity, particularly if its "free".

Government jobs are not entitlements, we are all forced to pay those salaries under threat of violence. Most people get angry at no bid contracts, this time, we are supposed to support the highest bidder? Why?

TP I was pointing out there there is class entitlement. Cutting at the bottom is accepted, but any thought of doing it to the upper eschelon is met with severe opposition, just as Mr Peluso was when he suggested it. Any of those managerial jobs can be filled just as easily for less money. We cut as much as we can at the bottom. Time to start with the rest before they start taking more money "under threat of violence" as you put it.

Oddly enough, I agree. You're right, there is a class entitlement. The 'likely' is the thing about the 50% less statement, it's market value as TP says. Market value varies a lot though, would it be market value for some manager working 80 hours a week,no overtime, in retail?

Jenne, I know as many qualified people that work long hours for $80K as I do for $160K. In this economic climate those jobs would not go unfilled. The difference I am pointing out is that it is acceptable to play hardball on one class and not the other, especially if there is a good union to bust.

BB, the first question should be, should the government take from the people to do this job. If we answer yes to that question, the next should be, what is the best price we can pay for this service.

I don't think the town should run a rec program at all, particularly when we have non-profits running the programs. Let them bare the full expense and pass it on to their members (users). If it's warranted to pay a super and assistant super $210k+, the people using the service should take the brunt of the expense.

I am not against the BOE janitors, just against over paying for the services they perform. Its not like we get to choose to pay taxes.

TP,
An example of a town/city not running a rec program? Paterson. How's that working out for those kids over there?

You're starting to make Ron Paul look like a Liberal.

My other point would be: If you were to outsource and/or privatize all of these functions and services, how would you provide an outlet for children who can't afford to play for a private sports organization? Obesity in children is a big problem. It's bad enough we have trouble getting them outside. What would your solution be if there wasn't an affordable option for sports?

Ron Paul is a classical liberal, but I don't think he will be running for council.

As for an example of local sports programs run by the private sector, you live in a town like that. Fair Lawn All Sports, Youth Ice Hockey Association of Fair Lawn, Fair Lawn Street Hockey Association, Fair Lawn Football Association are all private organizations that come to mind.

Makes you wonder why we have a Rec Super, Assistant Rec Super, Typist, Repairer, Supervising Repairer, should I go on? I already cracked 1/2 million in costs.

TP,

You didn't answer the question.

"If you were to outsource and/or privatize all of these functions and services, how would you provide an outlet for children who can't afford to play for a private sports organization? Obesity in children is a big problem. It's bad enough we have trouble getting them outside. What would your solution be if there wasn't an affordable option for sports?"

Chris, eliminating the waste on the government books will not have a substantial impact on the cost per participant in any of the sports programs. I will just reduce the amount of taxes they need to take from property owners in town.

AFAIK, none of the non-profits which run programs in our town offer free participation, and affordable is an ambiguous term, if you can afford to live in a town with $800/mo+ average property taxes, how much can you "afford" to pay for your kids?

What about the $18,000+ we spend per pupil at the BOE, don't we still have gym classes? I used one of Radburn's parks this morning, no fee for use, and its a privately owned park.

Even if we "need" these positions, are you suggesting we need a super who costs tax tayers over $150k a year? How does pay his fat check help obesity?

YOU'RE going to reduce the amount of taxes??? Huh? You running? Thomas Paine for Council? How are you going to take the heat in a campaign? You won't even post your real name on a forum. ROTFL!!!!! If there won't be a substantial impact if All Sports were to be privatized, what will the costs be to rent the fields? Insurance? Uniforms? Who is going to coach? What happens if no parents decide to coach? How will they absorb the cost of hiring coaches? See, All Sports is more like a quasi government entity. No one is making any money off it. Do you ever research anything??

Yes. All Sports DOES offer free participation. Info on children that receive financial assistance is kept confidential. That was always a policy. I doubt they changed it.

I'm guessing you don't have kids.... And you and whoever you choose to be your running mate can run on the Libertarian ticket. Ha ha ha ha ha..........

edited for spelling.....

Can you tell me the last time the job descriptions of the Rec employees were updated? And those titles? While you're at it, can you tell me what each positions responsibilities are? Do you know what they do? We already know you can pull salaries off a website. Now, can you put duties behind the salaries?

Chris, I am starting to understand why Mike Agosta has started a second local Republican organization. I am a life long Republican and I have no interest in running for office. Even within political parties, disagreements occur, the fact that I don't share my entire name is irrelevant to the facts. We don't even know if your the "real Chris", but it doesn't matter.

All Sports is NOT run by the town, its already private, run by a law firm. It was even a topic during a recent meeting, Tranwinki wanted to see the IRS 990s before handing over any monies. We send over $60,000 non-profits with 0 accountability. If these organizations are "quasi-governmental organizations", I am sure its violating a slew of laws.

Maybe you could qualify your statement in terms of how they are "quasi-governmental", is that like quasi-pregnant?

Think about all the kids that participate and provide these private organizations with hundreds of dollars each (some exceptions granted).

Well, Mr. Paine, explain this: Who does the scheduling for All Sports? Who maintains the fields? Who do the parents go to for questions to be answered? Who conducts the training for the coaches? And of all these people that do all of these tasks, who employs them? Who?????? Who pays for the use of the Boro fields? And bad analogy. You can have quasi governmental functions. You can't be quasi pregnant.

Oh, and BTW, sharing your name is relevant when you start calling out people in town for breaking laws. Shouldn't someone have the right to face their accuser, or at least know who it is?

What a difficult job it must be to coordinate all those schedules, maybe we aren't paying them enough. Training for coaches, really? That's what costs over a million bucks?

Ultimately we the taxpayers pay for this plunder. I advocate pushing these function out of local government and into the private (non-profit) sector so there is direct accountability. The P&L model would ensure waste is kept to a minimum. This half and half model makes it impossible to know if the parents of these kids are being taken advantage of while the taxpayers subsidizes the bill.

Ever wonder why they don't publish their books?

Did you know Your Ice Hockey Assoc of Fair Lawn, Inc is not an IRS tax exempt entity?

Some more stuff to ponder, in 2009 Fair Lawn All Sport alone took in $378,321. What was that money spent on? Maybe it was all legit, but we'll never know.

Isn't it odd that Fair Lawn Football Association doesn't show up on GuideStar?

Chris, would you support the council passing a law that prevent these organizations from using any borough resources until after they publish their books and commit to filing monthly reports with full disclosure?

So now you're belittling the rec staff? And can you post some verifiable source for the numbers you quote? You keep throwing around numbers. Million dollars for what? You continue to complain and you have no intention to do anything about it other than post on Patch.

How absurd to insinuate I am belittling the rec staff. The fact that the town doesn't publish what their roles are, how much of OUR money goes to them or what their names are is what I am questioning. Why isn't this information brought front and center? Is something being hidden? I didn't start this conversation, Kurt Peluso did. Since when do Democrats flank us Republicans on spending?

The following numbers are from 2010 since they are most recent widely available for free on the web:

James Graff made $114,140, his assistant Scott Homa, $94,636. There is $208,776, figure another 5k increases over the past two years. Then add in $17,000 each for the medical plan, another $15,000 for the taxpayer's share of their FICA, we just a few dollars short of $250k.

Jesse Roth $84,856 and Mark Romano $74,724, that's another $160k + medical and FICA alone there's another $200k (including the few we were short on the first $250k).

Dorothy Vankruiningen $60,424, Robert Lado, $58,956, that's another $120k + medical and FICA another $160k.

Some of the names, salaries paid to the dollar (before cost of living increases) and already we are at $600k+ and we haven't turned the lights on yet. And let's not for get the dozens of part timers.

As a lawyer who belittles my ability to find this details on a website, let me ask that you highlight where I am wrong on the salaries.

I believe that is against the law. You have no reason to fire them,and you prove that in court by hiring them back.

Chris,I don't like saying it but you shut up real quick.

This is almost 3 months old. What are you talking about?

Since any savings would go into the surplus, and since fair lawn taxpayers have voted to increase their own taxes for the BOE more than once, I wouldn't bet on it.

Delgado its people like you, and the Republican version of you that enable the plunder to continue. Instead of attacking the other side for the sake of attacking them, stand on principle, forget the label, forget the messenger and focus on the content.

Brent, I was just asking him to respond. Sometimes sarcasm doesn't come across well in the written word. I have no reason to believe "rec's" comments, but it is concerning if true.

Despite his prolific volunteering for the community, I feel it's a bad idea to name a publically owned gym after a living poltician. In the grand scheme of things, the fact that it was even built is the larger issue. I am also aware that he has mitigated the losses which continue to pile on.

The only allegation I have made about Mr Cosgrove is his blatant violation of the Open Public Meetings Act.

Its refreshing to see you are against cronyism and nepotism, I'll bookmark your comment, I'm sure you'll join the chorus criticizing it in every instance.

Brenty
Attack? I simply asked about your sudden political affiliation and your appearance as a voicepiece for the current council majority.
As I stated, I was a member of the Fair Lawn Repubilcan Club for 6 years. I served as president for 2 years, until last August. I never met you at a meeting, fundraiser or club activity.
Keep in mind, there are people who sacrifice so others can sleep in their own bed every night.

Tony.....so thought the people in Gemany many years ago

will you be running on your shut down government platform?

Is this Alan Marcus?

mike, i think i remember a facebook post about "bombs going off" at a republican club meeting. also, i found this reporting in conservativenewjersey.com interesting: "Michael Agosta has his own baggage that might have been an additional factor in his decision to drop out of the primary. His idea that candidates who oppose him should be water boarded does seem to be a little extreme. The solution he proposed for the illegal immigration problem; loading them up in freight cars and sending them to the border also did not find favor with voters. Then there was the little problem of his stealing opponent’s lawn signs."

mike, youre right, no mention of bombs-actually posted on your facebook account: "Michael Agosta A political nuke will be hitting Fair Lawn by Tuesday!"
also on waterboarding: http://www.northjersey.com/news/politics/nj_politics/Republican_candidates_hoping_to_remove_Rothman_agree_on_many_issues.html
on illegal immgration seems like you may have a point against the blog. this interview says you would have had illegal immigrants WALK home: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRupXNBAmGA
and on lawnsigns at least this reporting says you admit in open courtroom stealing signs: http://conservativenewjersey.com/serious-questions-in-the-9th-district-of-nj

Yep. A political nuke did hit Fair Lawn as predicted.
Illegals can WALK home. They have cost me enough money already.
I did take a single sign that was laying on the side of the roadway. Took a pic of it in the garbage.
And the people YOU support are spending YOUR money.
Is this Rich Baratta?

Hello Bellair, how are you? Do I understand correctly that you are accusing me of using the namesake of our public ilbrary to post on Patch? Frankly, I'm quite honored and a little flattered that you would see "Maurice M. Pine" and immediately think of me. That isn't me, unfortunately, but I do take heart that maybe I've succeeded at raising the level of discouse on this page just a bit.

Mr. Agosta, I know there is some confusion as to whether you resigned from or were "kicked out" of the Fair Lawn Republican Club. I must admit that I was not at that particular meeting. From what I understand talking to a number of people, there are several competing stories as to what happened. I will have to review the official minutes. I can confirm that the Club did receive a resignation letter, and I'm happy enough to leave the matter at that..

Yes, Dan, please review the minutes.
All I know is that I was in Afghanistan in a combat zone when Baratta said she was "fearful for her family" becasue of me. This was reported by your secretary.
Check the minutes for that.
Also, don't worry about the flags I requested back in January. I moved to a less aggressive area.
Hope to see you at the 9-11 ceremony or the Veteran's Day ceremony!

Dan, final note. There is no confusion regarding my resignation.
The individuals who requested for me to be "kicked out" were not even members. Read you bylaws. Those individuals did not pay the $10 dues in two years. Baratta and Trawinski make over $275,000 combined but they couldn't pay $20. Their spouses were also not members. In fact, when Richard Baratta interrupted one of our meetings and made unfounded accusations, he was not a member.
Stick to the facts.

Brent, you're starting to sound like a schoolyard bully pushing down a little kid screaming "Take it back!" I will not acknowledge your misquote, but I will direct you to read the answers given by Dunay and Baratta every time the question of being a double dipper arises. You will see that is the only reason they ever give. But why are you throwing Trawinski under the bus here?

BTW, what are your qualifications for your patronage position again? I don't believe you ever stated that here, regardless of how many times you were asked or by who.

Brent, I did not delete any comments. I never did and I am not going to start now. I'm not sure what comment about Swain you condemned, but I stick by whatever it was I wrote.
If it is slander or defamation, there is legal recourse for Ms Swain.

I'll pose to you the same questions I posed to TP:

Can you tell me the last time the job descriptions of the Rec employees were updated? And those titles? While you're at it, can you tell me what each positions responsibilities are? Do you know what they do? We already know you can pull salaries off a website. Now, can you put duties behind the salaries?

i cant give you exact numbers but from using the facilities, and being able to see the amount of money we pay on salaries, i can come to the conclusion that us tax payers are not getting our moneys worth.
i also believe every public employees salary and responsibilities should be easily found online for the tax payers to see. if the salary is justified by the responsibilities there should be no problem with transparency

And this conclusion would be based on what? Do you have experience running a Rec Department? You don't even know what the individual responsibilities are, yet you have determined through whatever means you've used that we are not getting our monies worth. You can be TP's running mate.

You can easily go down to the municipal building and put in an OPRA request to get the information you want. There's your transparency. Or would you prefer an annual letter from the Boro with all of this information?

honestly i DO want an annual letter from the boro with all this information. when times got tough where i work the boss had us provide time sheets and details of the work we did, to see if and where money was being wasted. none of the hardworkers had an issue with this because we had nothing to hide. however the people who took extended lunch breaks, spent time on the internet, etc made a big fuss about filling out time sheets.
i have no issue with anyones salary as long as its justified. as a taxpayer it is my right to question why we have so many high paid employees in the boro- and should be provided with the answer of what they actually do to earn that salary?

Chris, why are you against transparency and honesty? Are you one of the people who benefit from the plunder? Is one of your clients local government? Someone in your family maybe? I don't need a running mate since I am not running.

Or maybe I am reading too much into your comments. Are you for publishing salaries and job descriptions online?

Who said I was against transparency? I clearly stated the proper way to obtain the info Rec was looking for. And no, I'm not for publishing salaries online. Even though they are public knowledge, people still deserve a little common decency. Yes, they are easily obtained through an OPRA request, but I feel you should have a good enough reason to submit an OPRA request to get them.

And for the record, you will not find my name anywhere on a public payroll, nor will you find my company on any public contract.

What would be a good enough reason? Why should the clerks be able to maintain the list of people who request?

Christopher- i know it sounds cliche but i along with the rest of the fair lawn residents pay for the borough employees salaries. if the person who pays me wants me to justify my salary i will quickly provide him with my day to day tasks and can easily justify my salary. no one who EARNS their pay would be bothered by transparency.
i know this is a difficult situation, i would never wish for anyone to lose their job, especially someone involved in our community. but when money is this tight we have start cutting our "entertainment" services such as the pool and rec center.
i personally would not name names like TP, however if my name was mentioned i would quickly respond with my responsibilities and why i deserve that salary just so no one questioned it in the future.

Your only options are to either fill out an OPRA request, or go to the next Council meeting and tell them what you want. Complaining all day and night here is going to fall on deaf ears. I seriously doubt anyone will legislate based on an anonymous post on a forum.

And do you really expect a boro employee to justify their job here? To you? If so, your going to have a long wait.

@REC I was very reluctant to name names, but it would be hard to illustrate the particulars Chris was challenging without naming them. He challenged my assertions, how else could I establish the magnitude of the expense?

I don't want to see anyone loose their job, I shop local businesses. I run a local business. I employee two Fair Lawn residents. The people who work for me do not have the salary taken by force from their employer, I voluntarily hired them, they voluntarily entered into an agreement to work for my company.

The entertainment provided by the rec department is funded with money taken under threat of force.

Rec programs are great for children and adults, but they should be self funding. Some people enjoy paintball, others bowling, I don't think there are many people who want tax payers to pay for those, why is football any different? One of my employees thought their kid's fee paid to Fair Lawn All Sports funded the entire program, parents are surprise to find out it doesn't. Kurt Peluso is not the only one who thinks we spend too much, remember him and Lisa work for Ys. As Kurt pointed out his colleagues were shocked to hear what we spend.

I don't know if we need all those employees, I have been to the community center and have seen a bunch of people socializing and watching youtube videos in that office to the left after you walk in.

I sure miss the cantina and the $25,000,000+ spent to replace it.

chris- you got way too much free time to debate things on Patch. I do not expect someone to post thier salaries and responsibilities on this website.
I made 2 points on this thread:
1. when all are public employees are friends and family it makes it difficult to lower salaries or make cuts because of personal relationships.
2. Since we tax payers pay the borough employees salaries, current salaries and responsibilities should be easily obtained online.

TP,

Were you raised in a communist country? Not all government services in town are forced upon people. Actually, none are. You know nothing about government. All Sports is just a sports program. They include the sports that are most common to children today. And how do you know what funds All Sports? You throw around numbers with no validation or reference to where you get them from. You can't even make a simple OPRA request. Swain and Peluso's employer have no bearing on anything in regards to All Sports. The Y does not have any of the sports offered in Fair Lawn. Your comparison is misguided as is most of what you say. Instead of pontificatng on a web forum, maybe you should look into any state guidelines that requires X amount of supervisors per child in a rec center.

Swain should be mentoring Peluso so in the future he doesn't call for large last minute cuts when he had 3 months to do it. Why Swain, after 4 years on the Council, allowed him to do that is beyond me.

Go get the information you seek. Go file an OPRA request. Why is this so hard for you to understand?

Rec,

You seem to be the only one who cares about having salaries online. Who is going to post them online? Then you'll have TP complaining that the boro's website's use was forced upon us (or some blather like that). Again, go down to the municipal building. Go find out what each person's responsibilities are. You'll find that a lot of people are doing the job of 2 or 3. Can it be done more efficiently? Possibly, but I don't work there. That's Metzler's job. Let him do it otherwise TP will start complaining that Metzler is being forced upon us while he does nothing. Again, go fill out an OPRA request.

Could there be areas to cut? Possibly. But I wouldn't go with Swain and Peluso's draconian ideas and lay off 20 employees.

"Who is going to post them online?"

um maybe the typist, one of the numerous assistants, or one of the numerous secretaries employed by the borough can type and post them.

Wait, doesn't the typist have the same last name as Metzler's assistant? I know it's not a common last name, but I wonder if there is a relationship....

Things will NOT change at Borough Hall until they fear the people will take the power back. As more people find out what's going on, it will be harder to obfuscate the issues. While most people don't read these blog comments in town, word is getting out. I was at Mezza Notte the other day and overheard people complaining about how wasteful the council and boe are. One even complained about our $250,000+ clerks compared to Glen Rock's $80k clerk.

is it me or is mr. paine getting a little creepy now? names. listening in on conversations. government taking things by force. this guy should be taking meds.

@Mei Won Sum - Its you.

There is nothing creepy about overhearing a conversation while waiting for people to show up for lunch in a restaurant.

All the names and amounts are public record, obtained legally on the web.

As for government taking taxes under threat of force, don't pay them. Simple send a note thanking them for their suggested donation, or deduct a portion which covers entertainment you don't use. They'll start with a fine, then a lien, then an eviction, which comes along with the police forcibly removing you from your (or what was your) home. Property taxes do indeed come with an implicit threat of force, you just may not choose to accept that fact.

TP,
Why do you keep calling this a threat? No one is forced to pay property taxes. It's the law of the land. How else would the government work? Would police work for free? Why are you so opposed to services? it's really what differentiates the town from other towns.

You sure you're not a Libertarian?

Chris, I have libertarian leanings as do many Republican but I am not a Libertarian. The threat is implicit and often forgotten, but its still very real. There are those in our party we often referred to as RINOs who think big government is okay as long as it our big government. Personally, I wish they would just join the other party already.

I am okay with property taxes when they are used for necessary governmental services, law enforcement falls into that category. I have called for an expansion of our police force. I am against using money taken by force for entertainment. The pool, the rec department, the Senior Center, Community Center, fireworks etc are just that, entertainment.

Its our money, who better to figure out how to spend it then us? If people want a rec program, pay for it. Want a pool, put one in your backyard, move to my part of town (Radburn), where we have a PRIVATE "community" pool or get a group together and start your own. I am okay with letting a private group run the two we already have, Dumont does it, why can't we? Besides what's Walsh Pool doing now?

I know you have studied the law, I suggest you read The Law by Bastiat. Just because plunder is generalized, doesn't mean its not plunder. Just because a majority of politicians make a law, does make it right.

TP,

I was raised in Fair Lawn. When I decided to buy a house to raise my children, I chose fair Lawn. Why? Because it has a pool for the Fair Lawn community. It offers services for my children like All Sports and the Rec Center. I don't mind paying taxes for these things. Are they perfect? No. Do I care? To a degree. But I don't feel like I'm being forced to pay for something because I opted in for it. Do all Radburn residents like paying for a pool? Do all residents in Radburn like the prospect of the Daly Field development? No. It sounds like your bitterness towards all of this may have to do with some of those issues. You obviously don't have children or this conversation would not be happening.

Question: Do you feel you get your dollars worth from your Radburn dues? I know many that feel they don't.
Seniors stay here for the Senior Center. People pay to see the fireworks. If you don't like any of this, you are more than welcome to sell your house and move.

Chris, Radburn is a private organization, I am not a fan of our trustees, personally I think it was short sighted, bad idea to create "landmark". But these are the actions of a private group, It was our land which we were taxed, our trustees made a deal, we already agreed to live by it.

I don't think we get our monies worth in Radburn, we have spent a fortune on legal fees because of Fair Lawn fighting us. We "won" the case but funded both side of the fight, so not only did we lose like every one else, we lost twice.

Memorial Pool and Walsh Pool are both nice facilities, but they are not the nicest community pools in town. You could have bought in Radburn if a pool was that important to you. You could have bought a house with one, or put one in too.

The reality is we subsidize certain entertainment in this town, and none of us can opt out. I enjoy paintball, should I be able to force you to pay for it? Why is football covered but not archery?

The private organization that run these programs are unaccountable, we send them money and don't charge them to use the facilities. If they get to charge people to run the programs, they should cover all the costs. Why don't they publish their books?

Seniors are leaving Fair Lawn because of high taxes, families are choosing other towns and areas for the same reason. The pools would both be open if they were so popular, but they are not. Ultimately the BOE is the biggest expense, but the culture of waste and cronyism needs to stop. It needs be fought at every turn.

TP,
You're splitting hairs here. I chose not to live in Radburn because I don't like being double taxed. From what I see, you don't get much for your dues dollar in Radburn. Everything you apply to Radburn holds true for Fair Lawn. We have a private community pool for Fair Lawn residents. This year we are allowed to sponsor a family for a fee. Seems pretty fair to me. The reason we have a pool and sports programs in Fair Lawn is because the vast majority have no complaints about them. I've been to the Radburn pools in the past. They're pools. There really isn't anything special about them.

As for Radburn, when was the last time the non profit RA opened its books to you? I'll tell you... Never. When you elect new RA members, you're told (forced) who to vote for. That's what you bought into. The most undemocratic elections around. Now, are you're really gonna sit there and tell me you're OK with that? That alone would make me want to move. We're all going to have 160+ townhouses shoved down our throats. We had no say. That was decided by 9 individuals. And the worst part? You can't get rid of them!! If Fair Lawn doesn't like it elected officials, we vote them out.

Fair Lawn fought Radburn because the residents did not want the development. That was our elected officials working for us. What did yours do for you?

Schools? Nice deflection.

Fair Lawn's government pool is not a private pool, even before the residency restrictions were changed. Like it or not Memorial pool is NOT private. While it may seem fair to you that the taxpayers are funding most of the cost of the pool, its not fair to the majority that don't use it. The reason it still exists, very few people knew how much we lost and the vocal minority that would complain if the costs were paid for by the membership. Of the average $800 a month in property taxes, its a cup a coffee, the problem is it's one of many. Its also money diverted from public safety.

The sports programs are among the best in the area, but their legal configuration isn't. We have private organizations, which have no oversight and unpublished books parading around like government organizations. They use our fields, get direct payments from our government and are accountable to no one. This is in addition to the staff of dozens in the rec department. They maybe completely legit, but they are not subject to the sunshine laws. Maybe Kurt is wrong that we spend too much, why aren't the Republicans making the case? Could it have anything to do with Metzler's assistant having the same last name as the rec's typist? Is that the tip of the ice berg?

As for Radburn Association, its our problem. We are a private organization. While I dislike the configuration, dislike the trustees and some of our rules, we have a mechanism for changing or disbanding the organization. A simply majority could change everything, at any time. It actually technically easier to do then to change members of the council. Collectively we have chosen not to.

Stuart for BOE!