Manalapan's Early Budget Numbers Don't Add Up

You may remember that it was daTruthSquad that told you previously that da state was going to slice off $1 million dollars from the aid it sent a year ago to Manalapan. Now, due to a state mandate that budgets have to be announced by da end of April, Manalapan's alleged town leaders have indeed announced a budget, but when you look at da early numbers, something isn't adding up.

ISSUE 1: Manalapan’s 2009 budget was $31.9 million dollars. Da proposed budget for 2010 is $32,686,748.

Now, we checked with a 2nd grader, and daTruthSquad's math was confirmed. In case "fiscal conservatives" Mayor Andy Boy and da Queen didn't notice this, da proposed 2010 budget, at a time that da state is in fiscal chaos, is actually higher than that of 2009.

Why da added increase? Does Manalapan need to pay their lawyers more money because they have to defend themselves after their 25-month loss to da Mosked Man in da "Legal Malpractice Case To Nowhere?" Or, maybe it's da defamation case Police Chief Brown is bringing against da Queen? And, before you ask, YOU DA TAXPAYER are paying for both cases to be defended, with no caps, and sparing no expense!

ISSUE 2: No Village, no ratables, no problem!

This proposed 2010 budget, as it was introduced calls for YOU DA TAXPAYER to fork over $20.2 million dollars in local taxes to support the spending plan. Now, follow da bouncing ball of budget blunders here --- da 2009 tax levy was $18.8 million that YOU DA TAXPAYER had to cover last year --- meaning, da overall proposed 2010 budget is going up $700,000, but your portion of local taxes is going up $1.4 million!

To be fair, and those numbers don't lie, we checked with a 3rd grader, and they tell daTruthSquad this means da budget burden on YOU DA TAXPAYER is increasing sharply!

ISSUE 3: Your taxes, as proposed, WILL GO UP.

Even when you adjust for last year's property reassessment, da budget as they introduced it will still raise the municipal tax rate by 2.5 cents per $100 dollars of da assessed valuation. The 2009 budget, which "Hear No Evil. See No Evil and Looking Evil" enacted in 2009 raised the municipal tax rate by 1.1 cents per $100 of assessed valuation --- this proposed one raises it by 2.5 cents per $100 dollars of assessed valuation!

Again, to be fair, we checked with a 1st grader on this one, and indeed, this would not only be higher, but it will mean a local tax increase.

ISSUE 4: No cuts, no pay freezes, no problem!

Apparently one person was laid off in town, but that doesn't really count since that layoff already happened and wasn't due to this budget. There is absolutely no word in Town Hall of anyone getting a pay freeze, or pay cut, or anything like that. What Governor Christie is demanding from state workers and others apparently doesn't apply in da town where your property taxes will most likely be going up.

ISSUE 5: What about da local school budget?

At da last meeting, daTruthSquad watched as many others in attendance with us at that meeting saw kids from da Manalapan schools come up and practically beg da Manalapan Township Committee not to cut their school budgets. There was one kid who made things clear when he said "This is our future." These kids showed more poise and guts than some members of da committee! However, unfortunately for these kids, their fate, much like ours, is in da hands of Mayor Andy Boy and his tax raisers.

Here's an idea from daTruthSquad - Maybe da Manalapan Township Committee should think about having some of these kids be a part of da budget process. Maybe their insights can help them craft a budget that will be a benefit - not a detriment - to da kids of Manalapan.

DaTruth is, as things stand now, something certainly isn't adding up. Da state takes away $1,000,000 from Manalapan, but da tax burden on Manalapan homeowners is going up $1,400,000? Da state cut our budget, but we can't cut our own?? Proving there were no real cuts, da 2010 budget will be higher than da 2009 budget??? Da "fiscal conservatives" Queen and Andy Boy can't find places to cut da budget???? Do we have to pay so much in lawyer's fees????? Is this why da budget is increasing??????

Are we da only ones seeing more questions marks here???????

Granted, da budget isn't a finished product, and maybe that's a good thing. But we will be watching closely, and considering Mayor Andy Boy is up for reelection this year, he'd better prove he's an actual GOP'er and not a RINO, and cut da budget. If he needs any help doing this, obviously, da Queen is da perfect person to help him, because as she said at Brookdale College when she was running for State Assembly last year, she is a "fiscally conservative Democrat. Most Republicans are shocked that I am more fiscally conservative than they are."

Queenie, not for nothing, but we're all shocked at that one. Can it be true that da Queen is "more fiscally conservative than they are?"

So Andy, if you need pointers from someone who is apparently more fiscally conservative than you may be, by her own admission, then seek out da Queen for budget advice. And remember, this is an election year for you - something voters certainly won't be forgetting if their taxes go up.

And that's daTruth.