Mayor ChoiLankey - newest inductee into the Land of Mythomania!?!

Saw this piece on the Edison Muni Tax-Hike here in the papers this morning. Mayor ChoiLankey says there are good reasons why the township's taxes need to go up. Well, then maybe he better come up with some better information and better reasons than he offers in this piece.

With appropriations up $2.6 million, revenues down $4.2 million and, hence, the tax levy up $6.8 million, it's hard for Lankey to just say that the proposed budget of $120.8 million budget only increases by $702,503 - a tad bit of information missing there. It's nice to say you're under the 2% Cap but then conveniently ignore all the Cap Exclusions that just get passed on to the taxpayers.

And what's this cute spin about decreased property values? Yeah, it's true that since 2009 the ratables dropped by some $300 million but that has nothing to do with the change in the tax rate from last year. In fact,  ratables actually increased by some $30 million from last year.

We're supposed to believe that he needs an 8.3% tax hike just to add some more police, maintain and enhance municipal services and add some more equipment?!? If Lankey wants to say that - then he needs to come up with a better explanation for such a huge tax increase.

Unfortunately, this is just unsupportable rhetoric by Mayor ChoiLankey to support his unjustified hike in the Muni tax-rate for 2014.

And always get a kick out stuff like this from Council President Rob 'March on Trenton' Karabinchak:

'Our real work in the administration's proposal begins now.' Before the budget is finalized, our council finance committee will conduct a very careful review and the entire council will listen to what our residents say at a public meeting.'

Sorry, don't mean to be a tad bit skeptical but this guy is so attached to Lankey that Lankey has to carry Snickers bars every where they go together. And more importantly, don't place much credibility in his or the finance committee's review - this is the same guy on a finance committee that didn't even know (in a prior budget) that there was a Muni tax hike of 2.9 Cents after they reviewed the budget, tax bills went out and we already paid half the year's tax increase.

There was something informative in the piece though - Senator Barnes revisiting the property tax issue. Hard to understand the reliance for such taxes on a non-cash asset. Hope he gets somewhere.