The Hammonton Gazette 02/04/15 | Page 6

Page 6 • Wednesday, February 4, 2015 • The Hammonton Gazette The Hammonton Gazette “The Paper of Record” Gabriel J. Donio, Publisher Gina rullo, Editor-in-Chief Dan russoman, Sports Editor Benny Mendez, Staff Artist MarySusan Hoffman, Paul J. Macrie iv, Michael Hozik, Donna Brown, Joseph Bruno, Brittany Mauro, lauren Bucci, lauren crescenzo Staff The Hammonton Gazette is located at 233 Bellevue ave. To reach a staff member, call 704-1940 or fax at 704-1938. The mailing address is P.o. Box 1228, Hammonton, NJ 08037. EDiTorialS The Hammonton Gazette is published Wednesdays, by The Hammonton Gazette, Inc. Copyright © 2015. All rights reserved. ISSN 1093-6181 input needed In an interview with The Gazette this week, Mayor Stephen DiDonato said plans to replace the light poles in the downtown area are on “the back burner” after a discussion began about a year ago following an accident that damaged one of the tall light poles, requiring a replacement. The mayor said a replacement was found, and another backup pole was found as well. He said the town may still replace the lights in the poles with LED lights, which the mayor said were more energy-efficient. According to DiDonato, any plans regarding lighting or the light poles themselves would receive the input of a committee that he said could consist of representatives of downtown revitalization stakeholders, like MainStreet Hammonton. The lighting downtown has been a critical component of downtown revitalization, helping increase public safety, pedestrian traffic at night and contributing to the overall “look” of the downtown in the evening hours. Any effort to replace lighting or poles should be done with careful consideration of those factors. Questions should be asked about how new light poles and lighting would impact the downtown area. Any effort to change the poles or lighting should be tested on a smaller-scale first before changes are made, to gauge the impact the change will have on a downtown area that has become the heart of the community and a center for commerce and civic life. We’re all for saving money and being energy-efficient, but as was seen with the change in the bulbs in the downtown snowflakes this year, there is a difference when a change is made. The snowflakes are only up for several weeks. Changes in lighting would make a more permanent impact, so more input from organizations and business owners connected to the downtown – which the mayor said he would seek – is critical. a volunteer’s life Hammonton is a giving town, filled with people who give willingly of their time and talents. Catherina “Kay” Bilyou was one of those people. She lived a volunteer’s life in Hammonton, giving back in many ways, particularly through her efforts at Kessler Memorial Hospital and St. Anthony of Padua Church at St. Mary of Mt. Carmel Parish. Bilyou devoted more than 30,000 hours as a volunteer at the hospital. In 2003, she was honored by the Hammonton Lions Club as Hammonton’s “Citizen of the Year” — one of the highest honors bestowed upon a citizen of the town. In addition to her works at the two local institutions, the woman most people knew as “Kay” was “always there for anyone in need with a homecooked meal and her legendary cookies,” her obituary said. Interestingly, her connection to the name “Kessler “ went beyond the hospital, as she worked at William B. Kessler Inc. maker of Hammonton Park Clothes for many years as a machine operator. Her family, friends and everyone who knew her remembered her fondly as someone who was devoted to the town and people she loved so dearly. It was relayed to us that one of the items she left behind among her possessions was an inscribed copy of Gazette Publisher Gabriel Donio’s book Images of America: Hammonton. Donio’s inscription to Bilyou reads as follows: “To Kay Bilyou – Who has devoted so many hours of service to our community. Thanks for your dedication to Hammonton. Enjoy this history of our town,” Donio wrote. Catherina “Kay” Bilyou lived a volunteer’s life. It was an inspiring life of service, one that calls out to future generations, asking them to take up her banner and carry it forward. PErSPEcTivE/TaxES Below is the Executive Budget Message presented by County Executive Dennis Levinson on January 27, 2015 to the Atlantic County Board of Freeholders. As is customary, it is my pleasure to come before you to present the 2015 Atlantic County Executive Budget. This budget is a responsible and realistic plan that responds to the unique economic challenges that presently confront our region. As you are well aware, there has been a significant decline in the major industry that serves Atlantic County and in 2014 more than 8,000 casino jobs have been lost. The closing of four casinos in one year has sent shock waves that go beyond Atlantic County. Our unemployment rate, 11.3 percent, as well as the rate of neighboring counties, is at the highest level in years along with the number of homes at risk of foreclosure. County government provides a safety net for our citizens. Generally the less fortunate you are the more you interact with county services. This year a greater number of people have come to learn more about what county government does as they apply for food stamps, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, or General Assistance. As I have said on previous occasions, a budget is most of all a plan for intelligent spending. In managing county government during these times we must be creative, disciplined, focused and think long term. There are two ways that we can do a disservice to our residents. We can budget too much and impose unnecessary costs when many families are having difficulty making ends meet. Or we can budget too little, cut back on necessary services when many residents need them most, and let our infrastructure deteriorate to a level that makes economic recovery more difficult and protracted. I believe that this budget strikes the right balance between reducing costs and maintaining important services. The 2015 County Budget that I present to you today is $201,201,720.56. Our amount to be raised by taxation is $160,746,006. Over the past three years we have budgeted approximately $9.6 million less than allowable under the state budget cap. This year we are more than $2.6 million below the state cap. Based on the best information we currently have available, we conservatively predict the county equalized General Purpose Tax Rate will be 40 cents, less than two-tenths of a cent more than last year. To keep the rate in perspective, it is lower than the 44 cents rate when I first assumed office in 2000. As has been our policy, we have allocated 50 percent of our surplus into this year’s budget. The total tax rate for the county which includes all four county taxing districts will be down 1.4 cents. The increase in the amount to be raised by taxation results from the arbitrated settlement of public safety contracts for Prosecutor detectives and Correction Officers, as well as a negotiated settlement with our Sheriff Officers. Public Safety is the largest and most costly portion of the county budget. Our total increase in salary and other expenses is $2,095,246. Of that amount, $1,923,926, 91.8 percent, is directly related to those public safety settlements. Obviously, this settlement added significantly to our health benefit costs which are up $467,572. Our state mandated costs also increased, maintenance of patients in psychiatric institutions is up $479,999. Currently there are more than 46,000 individuals in Atlantic County receiving food stamp benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program better known as Food Stamps. The increase in caseloads overwhelmed our existing staff and we, along with eight other counties, were not able to meet the state’s mandatory time frames to determine eligibility. As a result we were required to add 10 positions to our Department of Family and Community Development. The increase to the county is $284,645. Our Assessed Valuation has gone from $58.2 billion in 2008 to $39.8 billion in value in 2015, a decrease of $18.4 billion. In 2013 and 2014 combined we dropped $7,317,117,453. In 2015, we expect a further erosion of Atlantic City’s tax base. The need to stabilize Atlantic City’s property tax base is imperative. It is unfortunate that when the county attempted to intervene in a casino property tax appeal a few years ago, the judge ruled that we did not have standing and therefore have no say in how these tax appeals were handled. I believe that we could have played a significant role in stabilizing Atlantic City’s property tax base if we had been allowed to participate. There are other corrective measures that can be taken. I urge the state legislature to pass the “Casino Property Taxation Stabilization ACT,” otherwise known as a PILOT. Mayor Guardian and I reached agreement and clarified what the county share of the PILOT will be and all Atlantic County property tax payers will be better off with the PILOT than without it. I also urge the legislature to approve countywide tax assessment. This will eliminate the structural inequities in the current system that allows some property taxpayers to pay See BUDGET, Page 7 The Hammonton Gazette welcomes letters to the editor that are no more than 800 words long. All letters must include the name of the author and an address and telephone number for verification. Letters should be mailed to The Hammonton Gazette, Editorial Page, P.O. Box 1228, Hammonton, NJ 08037. Letters also will be accepted via fax. The fax number is 704—1938.  Or by email to [email protected]. Deadline for all submissions is 2 p.m. Monday. The Hammonton Gazette reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions expressed in letters, perspectives or in guest columns do not necessarily reflect those of The Hammonton Gazette.  The Gazette is not responsible for factual errors in letters, perspectives or in guest columns. The Gazette retains the right to refuse any submission or advertisement.