Request emailed to me Sat, May 15, 2004, 12:22 AM
If you will kindly send your budget proposals I would be interested to read them
Response:
Though the Freeholders claim that they are "Connected to You", most people are not connected to the county. I wish more people were. I wish more people were interested and involved with all levels of government. Our system works best that way. People are just too busy with their day-to-day lives to find the time and energy to monitor government. They tend to trust the system to chug along and as long as they suffer no personal strife. They accept that all is well, even accepting that some shenanigans is going on.
You may visit my website at joerenna.com to read what I had to say about the issues last year. I kept my 2003 campaign page up because the issues haven't changed from last year to this one. Whenever I address a problem I express my opinion based on facts I find through my research. I also offer a solution or at least a method that could be implemented to find a solution.
For the fourth year in a row the Union County Budget has been grossly abused. The growth in the budget is outrageous and unjustified. I consider the budget a problem because it has an adverse effect on quality of life for many people who can't afford to pay more taxes. The state government is addressing the New Jersey property tax situation as a crisis. Even going so far as to make a change in the state constitution to fix it.
Changes to the structure of local, county and state government is a long ways off. No one is going to give up their power. The only realistic, immediate thing we can do is to not make the situation worse. Stopping taxes from rising unnecessarily is the most basic thing we can do.
The County has been the worse culprit in property tax abuse. If I am elected Freeholder, keeping the budget from inflating would be a priority. My proposal for doing this is not radical. The process for devising the budget allows for executive preparation and legislative approval. There is a system of checks and balances that should correct flaws. This system does not exist in Union County and in there lies the problem.
The county manager and the nine Freeholders are working together to advance a political agenda that includes retaining power and diverting as much tax money as possible into the coffers of political cronies. I'm not saying this because because I am running for office, I'm running for office because I believe this is happening and it would be irresponsible of me not to try to correct it. The most effective way of doing so is by being a Freeholder and doing the bidding of the people and not a political party.
I've worked with the county as a vendor for over 15 years. I worked with every department and under a slew of different administrators and officials. I saw some tremendous innovative and helpful projects and programs throughout the years but have also saw some real boondoggles. I have never seen the system as dysfunctional as it has been for the past three years.
The budget problems can be cured with good management and good government practices. At the very base of the problem is the elected officials not acting responsibly on behalf of the people. They are beholden to the Union County Democratic Committee and must tow the line or be expelled from thier positions of favor. I have made an issue of that the appointment of George Devanney was political and that he is grossly unqualified for the position. Though he has been inept in in his duties, the Freeholders are in the position to review his proposals and approve each one or fix them if they see any problems. This stage of the county operations is missing, including when it comes to the budget.
Here are some item that I propose to get the situation under control.
1. the practice of No-bid contracts must be changed or at least monitored. The county manager and the vendors must be held accountable.
The county engages in the practice of granting no-bid contracts for professional services. I would push to change this. Opening contracts to competing bidders would result in hiring the most qualified company and the county would receive the best value for its dollar. There is also little indication that county management is negotiatiating the best value with their vendors. I can speak specifically of projects that I have worked on. For instance the contract with Xerox to run our printing facility is unbelievably costly with minimal return.
I wrote extensively about the proposal and contract. As an employee, I was interviewed by Xerox about the county needs. There was no one on behalf of the county with any expertise to negotiate this contract the county basically signed whatever contract Xerox presented. It is costing us millions and we are locked in for years. As a sitting Freeholder I would have never voted to approve this contract. Even though I would have been outvoted I could have forced explanation of the details through my inquiries.
There is no questioning or discussion on any issues during the Freeholder meeting when they vote on resolutions, including the budget. If they are discussing this behind closed doors then they are in violation of the sunshine law. I speak during the public comment portion of the Freeholder meeting but the Freeholders say they "do not have to answer questions." The public gets just 5 minutes to speak and trying to enlighten the officials is it is an exercise in futility.
There are professional services that are contracted that seem to have no meaning. Their resolutions are approved without question. The work is not always supervised and the service not always delivered. These are not accusations but observances. They may be executed in a lawful manner but that does not make them right. The Freeholders should have the best interest of the county in mind and not their political party.
If contracts are negotiated even a few percentage points in favor of the county, it would result in millions of dollars in savings.
2. Reevaluate the Open Space Trust Fund
The fact that the Open Space Trust fund has its own line item on our property tax bill is no reason to think that it is not a County tax. By being a separate item it is not included in the amount of increase in property tax the county levies. It should be.
The Open Space Trust Fund was approved by the voters with good intention. It has been woefully mismanaged and has been inappropriately misused. The fact that there is a historical preservation and recreation clause to the fund has allowed the county to use the taxes collected for a variety of projects that through some creative definition are wrestled to fit under this umbrella defined by the fund. The latest is the investment in the Union County Arts Center. It is neither a historical preservation project nor a recreation project yet the Open Space Trust Fund is being used to finance it. This is wrong and should not be happening.
The Freeholders are proud of reaching their goal of purchasing 100 acres of open space. They did it within one year of the program, yet the fund is activated for 20 years. If the goals are met then the fund should be eliminated or at least put on hiatus until needed again. Instead they are thinking of creative ways to spend it.
The fund is also over funded. The additional tax is charged according to the county assessment of property values. As the values of properties rise so does the revenue of the fund. The first year the county estimated that it would raise $4 million for the fund. They actually realized $6 million. The amount needed was still $4 million but the extra was spent regardless. The Fund is also being used to secure more debt which will add to interest payments. The County is already paying over $30 million a year in debt service.
The Open Space trust fund has become a sham. It is now being used for things that are regular line items in the general budget. This has been the biggest assault on the property tax crisis, yet it is not recognized as a county action.
3. Open the books
The reason that the Budget with all its flaws is approved without debate is because the public is not aware of the details of county operations. For instance after the budget is approved and implemented the county goes through a reorganization which adjusts the departments and employee positions. Even the employees are confused or unaware of the restructuring. The changes may not effect the day to day operations but they do change the distribution of money.
The county manager's office showed no increase in the salaries and wages item in their budget. What the budget doesn't point out is that there were less employees in that department. This means that the half million dollars allocated was being split by a fewer number of people. The public would never know this and it would seem like there were no raises in that department.
This is a very specific point to make and may seem insignificant in the shadow of a $360 million dollar budget, but it really isn't. The reason that budgeting is so complex is because it must present a big picture composed of hundreds of items just like this. My criticism is not with funds that go to essential services. My argument is to stop the waste. Sneaking a few hundred thousand dollars of increases through various line items makes them undetectable. Together they add up to millions of dollars wasted.
By having a more open government, accounting slight-of-hand would be more difficult. Poor management practices can be held in check and bad government would be exposed.
In conclusion
I raised three very primary things that I can actually do as a Freeholder. There is no opportunity to do anything as a private citizen. I can give you a host of specific situations where the county could have cut waste and saved millions. I think I already was long winded in answering your question. As you can see I am never short for words and I do believe I can make a positive change as a Freeholder. I am still cutting my teeth as a politician. I've been an independent for many years and believed in the balance of our two party system. The system has went astray but I think it will swing back and correct itself. I would like to be part of that change.
I'd like to thank you for reaching out to me. I haven't met many people who are interested in government unless they have a personal stake to claim. It's a shame that politics has such negative connotations. I constantly respond to outrageous accusations and depictions of my character that would never have exsisted had I not run for office. It is part and parcel of running and I am tough enough to ignore it. I would be remiss not to step up to improve what I see happening. It is a civil duty that few people can pursue because of their work and home commitments.
Please continue to write. I would like to answer any questions you may have and clarify anything that I have said. I will be posting more on my website soon and with much more regularity. Questions like yours help me address issues that concern people and I can post my response for more to see.
Thank you,
Joe Renna