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Politics & Government

Roth to Covered Bridge Seniors: Township Budget is 'Smoke and Mirrors'

Committeewoman Michelle Roth speaks to senior citizen residents of the Covered Bridge community about the school and township budget, among other local issues.

Following a presentation of the Manalapan-Englishtown school budget to senior citizens at Covered Bridge on Thursday, April 7, Manalapan Committeewoman Michelle Roth, the liaison to the school district, took the floor in support of the 2011-2012 school budget. Roth also voiced her criticism of the proposed Township Committee budget.

Roth thanked Superintendent John J. Marciante Jr. for his presentation on the school budget, and said that education is “extremely important”. She is in favor of passing the school budget.

Last year, Roth was the only Township Committee member to vote 'no' on a resolution which decreased the Manalapan-Englishtown Board of Education's tax levy by over $1.3 million.

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“I pay my fair share of taxes and I just feel it’s an important thing to be part of that community in supporting our greater community and making sure everyone gets a good education,” Roth said.

Roth then turned her focus to the 2011-12 municipal budget that was introduced on Wednesday, March 23.

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“While it is a flat budget, it’s being done with smoke and mirrors, which I think is very disingenuous and I think the people in this township deserve better,” said Roth.

On March 28, Mayor Andrew Lucas introduced a decreased budget of $31.2 million, down from the $31.8 million budget that was approved in 2010. This year’s budget maintains a flat tax rate, like the budget of 2010.

On March 23, Roth , and stated her specific criticisms. She said that the Township Committee overestimated the revenue and expense side. Roth repeated the claim to the seniors of Covered Bridge, saying that the budget is a very “dangerous situation”.

Roth explained that the Township ended the year with $8.7 million in surplus by the end of 2009, and Roth stated the importance of regenerating that surplus for the future. The surplus is now down to $700,000 and included a $90,000 cut to the snow line when the township had to transfer $750,000 to cover expenses after a brutal winter, according to Roth.

“The math is just not adding up; it’s extremely problematic. I was a ‘no’ to introduce. I’m happy to sit down with the other members of the governing body and discuss this with them at length. Still waiting," Roth said. "I think you all know that I always speak my mind and I always have the Township’s best interest at heart.”

In an email to Patch, Republican Mayor Andrew Lucas, responded to Roth’s criticism of the township budget, as well as the four Republicans on the governing body, including her former running mate .

“Mrs. Roth’s speech sounds eerily similar to last year where she made the same claims. The results from last year were that revenues came in as larger than forecasted and expenses were under what was budgeted,” Lucas wrote.

The Mayor and Roth, the lone Democrat on the Committee, have been known to clash over issues.

Roth is a financial consultant, and Mayor Lucas is a financial analyst. Roth is liaison to Manalapan-Englishtown school board which has proposed a budget that calls for a tax increase, and Mayor Lucas is the liaison to the Freehold Regional High School District which proposed a school budget with no tax increase. However, Mayor Lucas has not issued a formal statement about his opinion on the school budget.

“Unfortunately, Mrs. Roth has decided to spend all of her time making unsubstantiated claims instead of bringing productive ideas to the Township Committee on how to cut spending and make our Township run more efficiently,” Mayor Lucas wrote in his email.

“She has had over a year to sit down with me since the last budget to discuss these items and once again she is playing silly political games. I have a timestamped note that went into her Township Committee mailbox last week offering her several dates and times to meet and she has not responded,” he wrote.

If Roth and members of the governing body wish to put their differences aside and sit down to discuss the budget, they will have to move quickly. The committee will look to adopt the budget in May, unlike last year, when the budget was adopted in late June.

Roth and Lucas will meet again at the Township Committee meeting on Wednesday, April 13. The public portion of the meeting begins at 8 p.m., and will feature presentations on the school budgets of both Manalapan-Englishtown Regional Schools and Freehold Regional High School District.

Roth Addressed Other Concerns in Township:

While talking to the senior citizens of Covered Bridge, Roth, who also serves as the liaison to the township Transportation Committee, took questions regarding other concerns within Manalapan Township.

Resident Eleanor Fread commented that Route 9 South is getting worse. Roth responded that she doesn’t mean to “pass the buck”, but maintenance of Route 9 is the State Department of Transportation’s responsibility.

Nevertheless, Roth said that the state has been shirking the responsibility. In terms of snow removal, Roth criticized the state’s response during the major blizzard on Dec. 26-27, 2010.

“I’m sure you all read about how Monmouth and Ocean counties were virtually ignored by Trenton in terms of the snow removal,” Roth said. She added that she had had a conversation with a Committeman from  Neptune and learned that a resident had died in an ambulance that was stuck in snow during last year’s December blizzard.

“The state of New Jersey didn’t do their job properly,” Roth declared. She said that while the Township and County worked to clear roads, the state completely “dropped the ball” after the major storm.

Earlier in her comments, Roth acknowledged that on a local level the township is still dealing with the effects of the harsh winter.

She encouraged the seniors to call the Department of Public Works at (732) 446-8403 to notify them of potholes that need repair. 

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