8.4 million in excess of cap????? Really? How long was it going to take you Mr. Mayor to realize the town was over it's head & overspending? &&&& why should the taxpayers burden your mistakes & the mistakes of past administrations. I will still vote "NO" & don't threaten the taxpayers of Brick with your cute reference to card playing. Maybe you & all your friends in council should take the first cut in salary of the deck of cards!

If there is one game I hate to play...it's politics. However, I hope that the residents of Brick realize that we must agree to this referendum so that Brick remains status quo. Private garbage is expensive. Ask any relative who lives up north. Less officers is just one thing I do not want to think about. We have enough stress in our lives to now worry about the safety of our children, our families, our neighborhoods.

I agree with Pam, we need law enforcment especially now in these times when there are so many drugs in and out of this town, I for one DO NOT want to pay for private garbage and I would love to see all the recreaction programs stay, my children have used many programs and they are awesome !
Please voters think about all the facts before you make a hasty vote ... I'm sure we will be sorry if this does not pass.
and I'm sure the Mayors job is a hard one, so maybe the Nay Sayers can run for Mayor and see if they can do any better I LOVE this town and I think everyone does the BEST they can for the good of BRICK ............
Pam, we will spread the word to vote YES !

Think Snow and Vote No.. Our services ,my God they couldnt handle Snow.... We were paying for that municipal service,How Did That Work Out.. Vote no.......

Why hasn't the mayor sent an official explanation to each home in Brick to explain EXACTLY why they need the 8+million in excess of the 2% cap? Thats alot of "excess". The mayor has a reputation for being a bully at meetings and now uses two of the towns basic needs, police and sanitation, as his continual bullet points to threaten voters. Where's the million from the traffic cameras going? Put up a few more! So he is saying he is going to fire all these people and stop services and our taxes will still go up, something doesn't smell right and we are only being force fed police and sanitation as a solution? How much in oversized salary raises were given to his inside cronies as he cries for more tax money? How about a rollback in rediculous raises to save some of the police positions or public work staff? Time for transparency and an end to his bullying tactics.

I am beyond tired of hearing everyone's complaints about what should be done, not done, or who is getting paid what salary. WE did not create it...this was created a LONG time ago. I wish I was smart enough 20 years ago to seek a government job. The reality is that I would rather pay a few more dollars during the year, than have another monthly payment due to some private corporation who can charge and tax whatever they feel will expand their pockets. My main concern is the safety of my family. I am beyond tired of gang activity, drug activity, and every thing else that makes you cringe as a homeowner, a parent, an individual.

Now is not the time to cut back on law enforcement. A lot of drugs and gangs...yes gangs are here in Brick. Ask any high school student, they know more of whats going on in the streets than the average resident.
Our sanitation and recycling service is excellent. If anything we should be able to cut back on the recycling pick ups to once every two weeks.
Cutting back on our safety and health is ridiculous. Cutting back on some of the recreational programs or charging enough to cover the cost for them (including the overhead for the building) would be more reasonable.

Very shortly, Mayor steve will announce a new "self serve" menu for brick's services. You'll burn your own trash, shovel your own street, catch your own crooks, do your own building inspections, etc. But he'll continue to line his pockets with your hard earned tax dollars for sure !!!! Right Steve?

People WE ARE BROKE...And all they want is to Increase, When is enough ,enough..We Are Broke.When does that sink in.......

do not let this snake get away with it.........VOTE NO and then get rid of this lowlife

municipal UP and asking for MUCH MORE
schools UP
county UP
Property taxes UP

WAKE UP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The vote has to be no, and from there we can figure out what we can afford as a town. There is no reason why we as a town must be told what to do. They are out of control with the spending, and it needs to stop. As for the cost of private hauling, I can tell you that the rate will be the same for every resident in town. The cost will be about $300. a year, and don't compare North Jersey prices. The bottom line is after the BIG layoff, and the smoke settles, we can see exactly what comes in and what we can afford as a town. Remember we will be cutting out all these pensions, and other benefits, stop worrying about the 150 , think about your family. We need to look into very close, not just vote. This is your change to fix the problems in Brick, we have a lot off money coming in, now lets see where its going. Please think about this carefully, thank you!

Please stay calm about this and really think it through. No one wants to pay more taxes. However, the reality is that due to inefficient fiscal management (as well as less State aid) the money is just not there. Do you really want to pay an independent contractor for garbage? Remember when your cable bill was only $35 a month? The cable company slowly inched the cost up 5x. Do you want less police officers patrolling this town? I drove through Lakewood last Saturday night about 9:30 and it was very scary.. I am never scared to drive around Brick. I personally will be voting yes, yes to our wonderful town that I am very proud to live in and want to keep it that way. This decision does not come lightly. Like everyone else, it gets harder and harder to keep a roof over your head. However, my personal choice to vote “yes” will come with a pay-back for the town government in November.

Job. He wants private trash. Sure he wil be a manager for TR Hauling. We have left the future of our town in the hands of a guy who could not make it as a financial planner.
Our mayor made a statement that he takes no benefits from Brick. No medical no pension. Well mayor your wife is a teacher here in Brick and you get your medical benefits through the BOE? Last time I checked ed that is oublic tax money.

We have a mayor who is to busy running the water department in Toms River as he sells off all fee generating departments building inspections for one to his friends in TR. Half olf whom work here for the town and got big raises. That was right before he got his 80k plus job in TR. Maybe he should be here in Brick all day for the 52k we pay him for a parttime

GARY, please read my post above. I couldn't agree with you more. Everyone must look at their own finances before they vote.. Don't vote yes and start crying when your monthly mortgage/tax payment goes up 6 months later when your lender analyzes your escrow account for those homeowners whose taxes are rolled into their mortgage payment. Because it will be too late then to do anything about it. I really feel this potential tax increase will push many homeowners over the proverbial cliff.

gestapo tactics won't work. this budget MUST MUST be defeated. Stop spending our money, cut the real fat!!!! And don't dare try to charge us for garbage, either, u idiots. we voted that down big time. the jobs that will be eliminated? those that the current mayor and council hold. VOTE NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We need a boston tea party here!!!

Wow, I leave a comment about how it was scary driving through Lakewood and never scary driving through Brick and get dumped on about how the "town" has made me afraid.... really, it just couldn't be that the officers of this town make me safe?

If you think these are tactics, why did 172, if not more workers received notices stating their last day will be May 13? This vote is real simple and it should not be speculated as more than the following: If you wish to continue to keep services in house such as, Garbage and Recycling Pickup, Road Maintenance, our own Township Dump that you do not have to pay additional for, Police responding to any other crime "not in the act", motor vehicle crashes with injuries, along with senior services, recreation, parks and land, for a price less than the private market vote yes.
If you wish to send a message and vote no, you are in fact actually sending the wrong message. Cost wise, you are going to pay more just to have your garbage picked up then all of the services mentioned above combined. This is not to mention that who would want to move to a town with fewer services? There are two things in this world you are guaranteed to do; you are going to pay taxes and die. Taxes will go up 10 to 15 dollars per month, regardless of a defeated referendum. The real question is can you tolerate them going up an extra 15 to 30 dollars per month and maintain your services? If you vote no, you will essentially be paying more in the long run. We are getting a "bulk" discount here because we are all footing the bill to make our town a town where people want to come. Once you lose your quality of life, you will never get it back. If we lose our services we will never get them back.

On the township website, there was an audit done in 2010 on our town's police force. It strongly suggests Brick needed to add more police officers. How much was that audit that is now being ignored? I was also surprised to see how much the officers get paid in this town. More than NYC officers on the average? We aren't a high crime town. What happened to the police union negotiations. Weren't they looking to bargain over giving up some benefits to save our town some money? My biggest question is what happened to the money from our increased tax assessments? Ocean County Freeholders and the BOE are also asking for tax increases. All together, I see my taxes going up another $500+ for the 7th year in a row. Sorry, not willing to vote for it.

If the taxpayers of Brick wanted to do something big they would recall the entire Mayor and council and take back their govenment from runaway spending which has gor us to where we are at today.

What's the usual cell phone bill a month $60 PLUS ...... what's the usual cable/satellite bill per month $100 PLUS+ per month ...... what the usual Internet connection per month $70 PLUS per month ...... what's the usual water/sewer bill per month $60 PLUS per month ....... etc.

What WILL the average cost be for a homeowner per month to keep services and the ranks the way they are NOW .... $29 PLUS a month.....

PLUS and additional $20-25 (still unknown AND may be more with the gas prices today?? but the usual in other towns) IF the increase IS voted NO ..... and that's NOT tax deductible at $224 - 300 dollars per year.

Disdusted we need to organize and take back our community from these current elected officials.

In response to Brick Resident (sorry, it wouldn't let me reply to you directly), whatever the outcome is from the election will affect everyone--we'll all have to pay something. Some say we'll pay more for privatization of services but I say we will continue to pay more in taxes (as has historically been the trend). Our increased tax assessments were supposed to tide us over for a few years. Who could predict that the Govenor would put a cap on state aid or that we had record snowfall and overspent our money? Next year, some other unpredicted shortfall will happen and we will be asked again to either raise taxes or cut services. The Governor is going to cut pension and benefits for state workers and aid in education. He is asking employees to contibute an extra 8.5% in benefits. Those getting pensions for the past 10 years will have a rollback of 9%. Add this to the 3 tax increases previously mentioned and privatization is the lesser of two evils for me. I don't want any services cut either in Brick (especailly police force-who wants that), but I have to look at the bigger picture in our state which is affecting us in our town. I'm not convinced that the town hall has not scrutinized itself enough by cutting its costs to reduce our town spending so we can salvage some of these jobs and services. I also agree with you about your point for November, but unfortunately we have to deal with this sticky issue now.

I wish everyone would understand that there are other creative ways to deal with trash and recycling as well as the local police. All one has to do is look at other states like West Virginia and PA (Where my parents live on a two acre property in a nice house and pay approximately 2K annually for all their services including trash and education.) -- They have lower taxes and most towns, have privatized trash and recycling. I find that the people in Brick are mostly afraid of change. Yes voting no will mean a change, but change is not always a bad thing. As a waterfront property owner on the South (poor) side of the Metedeconk River whose family has been here since the 1940’s and non-wealthy working class, our property is being stolen out from under us due to “Exorbitant” taxes. There is no reason that I need to pay 5 plus times the taxes of my neighbors who are not waterfront, but have similar sized property and sized houses. Why can other states and towns offer lower taxes? What makes Brick different? – Change is needed. (cont.)

The Mayor thinks that all waterfront property owners bleed money including the wealthy who live on “prestigious” Princeton Ave. I would vote yes if there is more equality regarding taxes across the board. My wife and I are proud of Brick and I improved our property to help my local neighborhood, yet now I’m being financially penalized for being a good citizen. Some may ask if you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen. That is exactly what my wife and I are doing. Our property has been for sale at the Township “ASSESSED” value and no one is even biting.
I’m tired of being bullied, yes bullied and threatened by the Mayor, Council Members and other Township employees who are grossly overpaid. All you have to do is watch the Town Council meetings to see how demeaning they are to many of the local residents during the public Q&A portion. Watching the town hall meetings can actually be a hoot and downright embarrassing! I wonder if the Mayor and other Council members actually watch themselves. (cont.)

I do have respect for the police and other service employees, but creative changes in other areas can be made, which can retain employment. Most of us have been faced with making our own personal budget cuts. I’ve managed to cut costs by shopping smart buying generic brands, not going with prime cell phone service, other unnecessary conveniences, driving the same old car, only purchase regular gas, etc.
If people vote yes, my taxes will increase another $1,100 as well as almost 1/3 of the homeowners in Brick. That is a lot less money that I and others will be spending with local businesses. – How about that as a bullying tactic.
Don’t think the local taxes will stay steady for the next 4 years if the vote is yes. I will bet anyone that the taxes will still continue to increase. If the Mayor and Council have sold you on voting yes, I have a bridge to sell.

As I suggested on a similar article, the Mayor owes the taxpayers an information paper on what concessions "ALL" township employees have made to save their jobs. I remember 2 or the 3 unions have made some type of concessions, but the PBA was the hold out; also not sure what if any concessions the non-union employees have made.

I would think this is information the taxpayers/voters need to make an invormed vote.

Mr. Acropolis, your employer (the voters of Brick) hereby give you notice that you will laid off as of 2013. I'm sure this will give you appropriate time to secure a new job, Hopefully not another one feeding at the public trough. In the meantime, thank you for all the threats, you would make Gaddofy and Mubarak proud. Have a nice day, as for the referendum vote MINE IS NO!

To Brick Resident-I agree that laying off the police officers will be painful. However, the Mayor put this option on the table for us to decide. It was previously reported that the police union was negotiating to cut benefits to save jobs. I'm not sure if it was ever resolved, but if not, now is the time for them to decide to cut their benefits (like many of us) to save jobs or take their chances that the constituents in the town may save their jobs, which is not a sure thing. I work in a company where we laid over 100 people, so I know the pain of layoffs. Those of us who are still employed have to do part of their jobs without pay increases and also have been asked to pay more towards our benefits. My husband is a state worker and will be affected by the Governor's cuts previously mentioned. We've made alot of sacrifices and have buckled down with our cost of living expenses because at any time, we don't know if we'll lose our jobs. Raising taxes just seems to be this town's politicians way of "fixing" things, when in fact, it continues to hurt everyone--and now our police are included.

The average cost PER YEAR will be only $350 or a little over $29+ per month increase, which it "IS cheaper" then putting an alarm system on your house AND waiting for the Police to show because of cut backs. PLUS, the monthly charge for garbage PU has not bee established and will probably be $20-25 PLUS dollars a month and all of the other Public Works related trash drop off or pick up WILL change or be removed. Just think $29+ per month increase and tax deductible to continue service OR lay off 29 Police Officers and 170+ other Township employees .... the math IS simple VOTE YES

I also hold the Governor of the State of New Jersey and all of those elected officials responsible for an unrealistic amount of 2% on ANY budget, especially when they do NOT govern those areas. Just think 2% cap on Townships AND at the same time remove or lessen prior and future State Fundings which in ALL reality IS Brick and ALL other cities and towns TAXES to the State and their only form of revenue and YOUR MONEY withheld!! PLUS on top of that things like gas and petroleum related and other areas of usage HAVE increased. VOTE YES

Also it seems there are people within this story (comment section) that are will to punish the 29 Police Officers and 170+ other public sector workers....because they hate the Mayor??? THIS doesn't make any sense at all??

Hi Everybody, nice day isn't it? I have to add my 2 cents here. I'd rather pay $500.00 a year to a private company to pick up my garbage than give one more red cent to the TWP who can't get their act together and hold us hostage every single year. This way I at least know where my money is actually going and not have to think about how the Twp is mishandling it.

As for the notices that went out today, that's just a notice that is required by law it doesn't mean anyone is actually being laid off.

As for the loss of services & jobs if any actually do happen, jobs and services can be returned at a later date once the town has at least gotten itself back to being stable.

We're $130 million in debt....just THINK about that number. Cut the town to the barebones and pay down the debt it's that simple.

why cant i read the replies today ???

please reply as a seperate post and NOT as a reply to my post

There is even a person writing within these comment section saying his taxes will increase $1100 per year and this will affect almost 1/3 of brick homeowners AND people WILL believe this without thinking and shooting from the hip in return. IF that figure WAS or IS correct as stated and with the figures the town has projects in an increase, that person owns a MILLION DOLLAR home PLUS and 1/3 of Brick homeowners, ALSO own MILLION DOLLAR homes????? and people will believe this ??? ..... the same people say the town talks scare tactics, yet what the heck IS that???? Facts are facts and the increase will be about $29 a MONTH ( you pay more for a cell phone??) for a $350,000 home and guess what LESS if the value of the house is less .... and there are a lot of them.

Didn't the taxpayers vote to keep garbage pick up two years ago when Steve first got in office? They voted overwhelmingly to keep garbage pickup in house. He proved his intentions were to privatize garbage pick up. He now is in a win win situation, he either gets his garbage privatization plan or more taxpayers money to mismanage. I hate to say but this a R vs D, the root of this, hence him wanting to privatize collection since he assumed the Mayoral role. R wins either way the vote goes, this is prime example of why the two party system is corrupt and invisible with regards to dealing with taxpayers money. Don't know which way to vote. Will pay for collection but don't want police force reduced, he's backed the I's into a corner. Don't like this either"" During that time, Acropolis said, the township council will most likely pass ordinances mapping out how residents will handle using private haulers to undertake sanitation services" Now he plans to pick and choose the companies who are "allowed " to offer pick up???

I am surprised the whole Mayor and Council haven't been recalled your Mayor gave the town a bad check for his property taxes the first month he was elected what a disgrace .

The cold hard truth:
>Governor Christie contributed to this problem by cutting state aid.
>President Obama would rather fight wars in other countries, instead of handling his battle in the U.S. A leader would fix his own country first. How many U.S. lives were ended in Iraq? Is the $$$ number spent really one trillion dollars, so far?
>Ocean County residents are picking up their food stamps, while driving new vehicles.
>BRICK is a great place to live, do you want the following:
-Garbage piled high seven days per week, on your street.
-Illegal GARBAGE dumping to skyrocket.
-Private garbage collection, which is not cheap by amy means.
-Private snow removal, which would absolutely cost more,
(ever see an AMBULANCE, FIRE TRUCK, POLICE CAR try to get down an unplowed street)
-LESS COPS= "Seriously?" Residents of Brick have about a 5% idea of what the police do on a daily basis. You are safe, O N L Y because of their efforts. Ask someone who the bloods, crips, la mugre, latin kings, nietas, pagans, hells angels, breed, and others are? They are GANGS people. They live in your town, their kids go to your schools. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Calls for service are increasing daily. If I call a COP, I want him/her there, without delay.
-We are not too shy of the 100,000.00 population number, which would declare Brick a city.
>Quality costs Money-There are ways to cut spending, but NOT THIS WAY!

*Its tax deductible*

I did the math and based on my homes assessed value my taxes will increase $158.00 a year. From what Ive heard I will not be able to hire a private garbage hauler for that amount of money. For that amount I get to keep my garbage getting picked up by the town as well as the other services including the police. For me it's not rocket science. I'm with out a doubt voting yes because it's common sense. Any messages that need to be sent to politicians will be in the November fight. Everyone should figure out what it will cost them then decide if its worth it. Just my opinion.

It seems the same people continue to pass bogus information on this site every time I turn on my computer. Do not make this a November question, this is about keeping the quality services in Brick. If you have a bone to pick with the current administration do it in November not April. While nobody wants to see taxes increased the truth is you will either pay for in property taxes or out of pocket. Like the tv commercial a few years ago stated you can pay me now or pay me later, but YOU WILL STILL PAY

My entire life I have made a choice NOT to get involved in politics in anyway and what I am about to say "does NOT place me on any ones side". The REASON for the VOTE in April is for an increase in the budget above the 2% cap and IS for one reason and one reason only. The lack of money the State of New Jersey has cut back OR eliminated from going into and part of the Brick Township Budget and as expected AND in the mean time the Governor and those that follow his path place a 2% cap increase on the budget in New Jersey.

I would think most would think that 2% IS an unrealistic amount for ANY person OR town anywhere. The cost of living over the last year has increased more then 2% ....... AND then at the same time the Governor took away NJ Tax Revenue monies that ALL in New Jersey pay through many ways and should have continued to go into the budget .... thus NOW there IS a shortfall in the Township Budget and a VOTE to increase ...... BUT a lot of people blame the wrong person(s) for these problems and take it out on those that surly are NOT the problem.

79 - based on my current assement and if the 13 cent that was kicked around at the last Town Council meeting is the number, $1,100 would be correct. -- Sorry but this is not fair to me or other highly assessed homeowners. To be honest I don't know if the 1/3 figure I used is correct. There are a lot of us out there who pay way more than their fair share. I happen to be one of them. -- Every home owner should pay equally for garbage and police.

Why should someone pay less for the same service? -- Million dollar home or bungalow shack. My neighbors who pay a quarter of the amount in taxes I pay have two filled trash can every week versus my one. They also have two children in the public school system. Our family only put one through the system. Tell me what is fair... I VOTE NO!!!!

VOTE NO !.....let the "geniuses" figure out the rest....isnt that what they are getting salaries and benefits paid by the taxpayers for....anyone can raise taxes unlimited and balance a budget ....may as well elect a monkey

Try Nov 2013 not 2012, so throw your Nov. theory out the window.

Listen Plain and simple the town just doesn't get it. No is the only way to vote and I'm here to tell you why... over the last three years i have been downloading the brick town budgets you can do this yourself, almost everyone got a RAISE last year I did not. the town wants to spend 31 million dollars on a solar farm. hhmmmmm thats a lot more than the 8 million were short isn't it but yet they still have plans on building this thing. The town has budgeted 1.5 million a year for recreation improvements. Maybe we should cancel those as well. Somehow I don't think tai-chi classes for seniors and chair exercising was what the founders had in mind.
PS as I left the town meeting last time at around 10PM I noticed that the lights were on in all of the deparments that had already gone home for the night I don't know but it seems to me we could start by turning off the damn lights...

Chris there is alot ways to balance the budget but they take the easy get rid of help and services pretty soon we won't need them either.

What happens if the vote fails and my neighbor doesnt pay his private garbage collector and his garbage piles up at the curb?

What happens when you need a police person and theres not enough to respond quickly?

Ask yourself, how much is your security and garbage collection really worth? Im voting YES

I don't care what they do, I can't afford to live in New Jersey or Brick anymore. My Business is failing and I'm broke. I just don't give a shit. As for my garbadge I'll just throw it out the window as I drive passed the municipal building. As for any gang members I'll just shoot them if they come near my home, Alot of dead pieces of shit will be in the street

79 - Your comment/opinion and courteous nature is what makes living in the USA great! We can agree or disagree. My circumstance is different because of my high assessment. I'm no better or worse than any other Brick resident. If you knew me you would see that I am involved with the community and I get along with everyone... I'm not a snob. I just don't think it is right that I have to pay more than my fair share and what I pay should be on par with my direct neighbors. Flat fee for Police and flat fee for garbage. Paying more for the same services is usury and bias. We were among the last to be plowed out because we live on a tertiary street. The last to be plowed yet we pay higher in taxes? People and businesses on primary streets should be taxed at a higher rate because they were free one or two days prior and secondary streets were next. -- The way Brick taxes/assesses homeowners is broken. This needs to be fixed. I would vote yes only if I was treated on par and taxed as an equal. If you fix this first Mr. Mayor you will get a yes vote. -- But at this time I vote no and urge others to do the same.

As a waterfront home owner I cry foul and discrimination. YES DISCRIMINATION! I don't get the same treatment or services for my money. MR. MAYOR WHERE IS THE JUSTIFICATION!

We need to reassess PERIOD! - Tax appleal pending... I'm tired of being taken advantage of...

Ok, everyone on here has a legit sense as to what they believe. Some believe if they vote no, they will regret it if the private collectors charge more than what is paid now, also the same as less cops, more crime. Then there are those that say yes, to avoid all this (that's what they want - Mayor and Council). Also, some are afraid, with all involved in getting their piece of the pie, i.e. town, school and county, they will not be able to afford to live here anymore. I do agree 100% that one way or another, Steve wins, he either gets his money or he will privatize. You know he wants both ! But, right now he can't have his cake and eat it too ! Now there is the question, if we say yes, will it happen again in the future? If we say no, and we loose our services, will he still raise out taxes again in the future? And, I did a chuckle out of Ken's post !!!! Now here's my question, since the only choice we are given is to eliminate garbage (all public works services really) and police, which I think are essential personel (did you read his colume in the Brick Times about everything PW does?) I don't recall hearing about other things in town that have been eliminated now, before the vote, till we get down to the bare bones, meaning PW and police, it's what other's have mentioned in the past, like Trader's Cove project, the energy farm, Winward concerts, pay cuts at Town Hall and some services that are more like privliges more than necessaties. (Continued)

You know what I mean, cut all the little stuff before you go for the jugular. The thing I don't like most of all is that we voted these people in to run our Town, and when they have failed us, now they are saying basically is it's either this or that, the balls in your court (our court). Mark these words though, if it doesn't pass, and what they say happens, you will here at a council meeting Steve say: Don't blame me, you people voted it that way. As for me, if I were in Steve's shoes, I'd show the people of Brick that all my campaign promises, all what I said about becoming Mayor, to be true and set the example, since he makes more money in TR, I'd give up my Brick salary, have all my council members that have FT jobs give back their pay and benefits if their spouse's have benefits. I'd start there as a show of good faith, but then again, I'm not a politician, I’m just a silly humanitarian.

I've been back in forth over the last few weeks. I'm going to have to VOTE YES. These people are our neighbors and our community. I do not any town employee personally, but I have to guess most of them live in Brick. It's going to cost me nearly $400 extra. I don't have it, but I'll find it. I'm on one salary, family of 4.
I blame Acropolis and the Council and the Governor!
Mismanagement.....they didn't see this shortfall coming.
I used to vote Republican. There are so many Christie supporters around here. Wake up! He's giving all the breaks to the corportations and the rich!
Vote YES for the referendum and take it OUT on the Mayor and Council in the November elections the next few years!
They ALL better GO!

JB you are correct. I personally did not vote for the Mayor but the majority did. He wins either way , but because of that why punish ourselves. I do not want to worry about having my garbage picked up and figureing out what to do with all the bulk. If these people thin this will be cheaper not true the rates will increase every year just like everything else

I think this is pretty easy each person needs to look at their research on private garbage and see if that price per year out does the number of increase the mayor is saying. If private garbage is more I would think it would be a yes vote if private garbage does not out weight the taxe increase it would be a no vote.

From what I have seen private garbage can be anywhere between 250-440 per year. I would think for us it would all depends (price wise) on who the mayor has an in with and what kick back he will be getting from the deal. I would think that a deal is already in place.

On top of looking to privately haul your garbage, my concern is the bulk items.
These will be tossed in any wooded lots that are left in town, or worse yet, left on your neighbors properties.
This is a problem. I'll find the money to pay this year, but Vote everyone of these fools OUT!
Acropolis, DeLuca, Toth, Mathews, Scutarro, Sangiovanni, Thulen......did I miss anyone?
Whose up this November?

When Our Governor makes his surprise visit, you will see who is the first to go!'

I Have 5 NO NO NO NO NO.... No Mayor, No boe ,,,, NO

I will not sit here and let steve steal my money and run. You Steve made this decison. You Steve will have too many family memebers employed by me. I will make sure our Gov have the honest correct information.

If a concerned taxpayer vote yes.. This is like saying Yes Steve, I will give you another 500.00 a year. Minimun that is. Allow steve to keep Bellu? Allow Council President work for Lakewood DMV? Who is zoomong who?

NO NO BOBO, NO NO BELLU.. Steve 79 you present yourself with a new screen name, Why is this? Are you Ascared of the gangs in your area?

I am not afraid. This is such old news. Gangs.. Are you kidding me, there has been gangs for decades. Get a dog if you are so afraid. Better yet, do as another resident stated., Get a gun, Blast the robber, throw your garbage on top of him!
so NONNONNONONONONONNONno it is!

> VOTE NO ON april referendum NO @!\
>VOTE NO ON SCHOOL BUDGET, WE NEED MORE TEACHERS, NO MORE ID CARDS FOR BUSSES. MORE GARBAGE.
>vOTENO..... ANY INFO ARROGANT STEVE IS SPEAKING OF IS A SCARE TACTIC.
hE WILL SERVE MORE TIME THAN SCARPELLI! FUN FUN! bAD BOY.. tHEY GONNA GET YA!
NO JUst say NO

Apples, I mean Joe Joe, I mean DH, I mean disgusted homeowner, just because you are are a disgruntled homeowner, stop punishing us all. We all deserve Public Works, Police protection and the future of our children... If you don't like or agree with it, move out. No one cares about Pinewood Drive. Leave the rest of us alone...... With all due respect.

Really, I come to this sight to try to educate myself, but all I see is political nonsense. The Republicans are out of control and the democrats are stupid! What is left but the INDEPENDENTS!!!! Please take back OUR town...

Where did you all go? Are you scared to be called the truth?????

Bottom line numbers for 2010
school tax $97602538.00
Coutny Tax $41265937.73
Municipal budget $56384058.15
And this year you need $8.4 million more?????
No way!! and you better pick up my garbage or we should all just dump it on town hall after all they say there gonna fire the cops too

It really shows the Mayors inability to manage and think outside the box, Ok I can't pick your garbage up weekly, I will issue you every household an additional Garbage can, I will now pick up garbage every nine days, The public work employees who remain will really work 8 hours a day not five then go home when my route is done. I will follow a floating schedule and no longer pay OT on saturday to make up for that non holiday pick up. I will do my best to provide services instead of trying to scare you into paying more taxes( remeber buy the ice rink or someone else will, I know whats best and the rest of you will listen and obey, Oh yeah the same owner stills has it, the other buyers are still satnding there drooling waiting for the town to blink). I can do more with less but that means I will have to manage , wonder how he runs the Toms River water department? I agree with Chris lets all bring our garbage to town hall and dump it!

What's the usual cell phone bill a month $60 PLUS ...... what's the usual cable/satellite bill per month $100 PLUS+ per month ...... what the usual Internet connection per month $70 PLUS per month ...... what's the usual water/sewer bill per month $60 PLUS per month ....... etc.

What WILL the average cost be for a homeowner per month to keep services and the ranks the way they are NOW .... $29 PLUS a month.....

PLUS and additional $20-25 (still unknown AND may be more with the gas prices today?? but the usual in other towns) IF the increase IS voted NO ..... and that's NOT tax deductible at $224 - 300 dollars per year.

All kidding aside it is time for the Governor Christie to bring his people to Brick, look into the operations of the municipality and the municipal utilities authority, research the job classifications, the people that occupy them, their connections to the politiicans holding office and finally the enormus salaries they are being paid. Sure they will try to draw your attention away from it, but the time has come to end pay to play, double dipping, patronage and the outright abuse of our tax money. How much more can be taken from our pockets before we all reach financial destruction, NO has to mean NO, no more tax increases, no more water rate increases and absolutely no more pay increases for them, and all the people that back them for their own benefit.
It comes as no surprise that when you bring up their mutiple jobs and their enormus salariesand lucrative benefits they shift the attention to other topics. If Mayor Acropolis and his posse really care about the people they represent, the arrogance must stop, no more, means no more, until you give it up, we should give nothing.
It also comes as no surprise that the Director of the Brick MUA recently signed a five year contract paying himself 151,000 dollars a year with the remaining four years raising his salary two percent each year, in a time when 171 employees in Brick could lose their jobs, you talk about insulting hard working people. Could it be possible they feel Governor Christie is on his way here already?

Chris relax...lol, Everyone better wake up fast, think about your FAMILY first, the 150 employees they will be just fine, the figure will be a little lower because a lot of the 30 plus employees are getting out. Thats the ones the 150 should be yelling at, 30 year plus employees....and this Mayor its sad how this works....he can't sleep well at night. The NO VOTE will fix the town, and save us alot of money.....thank you

The "HILL" is a money making, but it does not need to be open 6 days a week. It should be open Fri, Sat. and Sun. and going to a 4 day work week would save the town a lot, give them off Mondays since that where all the holidays fall. Lets cut back, after the NO vote.....Fixing Brick, thank you!

I'm not a fan of this package deal, I voted no to privatize garbage pickup and yes to hire additional police in the last election. One question went my way overwhelmingly and the other was defeated. I certainly don't appreciate my vote being a waste of my time and invalidated because the mayor didn't like the outcome. I voted for the mayor, that won't happen again, and unfortunately I can't vote for this referendum.

i wonder if 79 knows that more than one person can live in a house?? and sometimes only one name is on a property?? let me call you by your first name 7 is it? those figures came straight form the town hall website 2010 Annual Financial Statement download it then read it on the home page click budgets tis to the right of events like these which I am sure cost nothing to go to
Other Events : Calendar
3/31 Chair Aerobics
4/1 BALLROOM DANCE
4/1 Tai Chi
4/4 Arm Exercise
4/4 Art Water color,oil, acryllic class
but im sure my garbage pickup has to be cut first

It's this simple: 79 equals Steve Acropolis.............. you're not fooling anyone !!!!!

The proposed referendum question if it were to pass would increase our LOCAL property taxes by 25% ! The number was derived from the Brick Twp. Referendum Question Fact Sheet that my neighbor passed on to me. The sneaky part about it is that you have to do the math to figure out the 25%. The mayor has stated that should the referendum pass our services will remain the same. But what he has not stated is that this is FOR NOW, JUST THIS YEAR. What people need to be aware of is that should the NJ Supreme Court rule Christie's decision to reduce funding to the Abbott School Districts as unconstitutional, then next year Christie could end up cutting ALL funding to local municipalities completely. Now given that the NJ Supreme Court is not a Christie supporter, this is likely to occur. No one wants to see their services reduced. No one wants to see the township police department staff reduced, but the writing is on the wall. The state is a disaster and Christie is taking measures that I fully support to rectify the situation. Go and listen to Christie on NJ 101.5's Ask the Governor. Listen to recording from when he was last on the radio. He's not lying about the numbers. Go watch the Brick Twp. council meetings posted on the twp. website. Listen to what our local politicians are REALLY saying. Nothing about this referendum question is simple. (TO BE CONT'D.).......

I see a lot of you are buying into the fear factor. I want you to turn on your TV and start watching commercials, notice how many are based on fear. Help I've fallen and I can't get up! Buy GOLD! Your money is going to be worthless! Have you checked your credit score, join us to protect your credit score and your identity! FEAR SELLS! Why do you think it's used so much on TV and radio ads? Vote NO! Put some fear into Mr. Acropolis who is vastly afraid he will be a one term wonder. I'm afraid he will get a second term. See fear works!

How does the township go from asking to HIRE +/- 8 new police officers last fall to saying they are faced with laying off 28 or 29 officers. The council members are blaming the funding that they are no longer receiving from the state and how "Christie hasn't provided the tools for the toolbox" so we can't fix this without the tools. Either these guys are really inexperienced or they are lying to us, b/c Christie put his "tools" before the legislature for approval and the LEGISLATURE REFUSES to do anything with them. The mayor himself in a council meeting several weeks ago also stated that should the referendum NOT pass, he'd have to "re-evaluate everything again" to see where to make all of the cuts. Ummm....anyone see a problem with this. Why didn't he finish evaluating where to make cuts NOW and then ask the taxpayer for less of an increase in the referendum question? In one breath, it's this is what you will lose, but in the next it's, well we'll have to re-evaluate the situation. I'm just saying that people need to make an informed decision. And my best word of advice would be to watch the council meetings on the website. Either way, my decision based on the homework that I've done is a big fat NO!!!

Here's the township website:

http://www.twp.brick.nj.us/default.asp

On the right hand side of the homepage, go to "Council Meeting" and click on "Meeting Video Archive."

its nice to know that when you try to enter in the debate and express your opinion you will be quickly Threatened by the powers that be, at first I thought Ishouldn't use my real name, hey this is america right, but I guess printing actual numbers is too much for 79 to handle. I will cave under the threat you have levied. and will stay out of this and all future debates.

SO MANY WORDS ON THIS THREAD , IT CAN MAKE YOUR HEAD SPIN.......ITS SIMPLE

VOTE NO !

Ok last reply from me.. the numbers are the story I can only earn so much money a year.. if its not enough then I'm spending too much someplace.. also if its not enough I don't plan on spending more the next year.. there are ways to get the 8 million your looking for that don't involve raising taxes. and as faras the "No threats intended" comment, you made it very clear to me that you 1) know who I am and 2) know the name of my business. Why would you feel the need to broadcast that to me if there was no threat involved??? its disheartening at best and a scare tactic at its worst. simply said even if the solar farm generated 1million dollars in electricity a year at a cost of 31 million dollars it would take 31 years to pay off. plus the best available solar panels are only 19% efficient, in five years if they are say 35% efficient do we uprade for additional cost??? or do we not spend the money in the first place.. 40,000 people ride the free bus to the beach, what does that cost us??? if you charged everyone who rode it $20 for a year long pass I'm sure the $800,000 generated could pay for the bus and maybe provide some more income for the town. there are ways that don't involve us not picking up the trash.. continued

I'm sure everyone would agree that no Recreational type service should be provided to anyone in this town unless a fee is charged to those who actually use the service to cover the service such as the ballroom dancing, contest and the tai chi classes and the bus to the beach. just closing town hall on Fridays would save money. maybe re-negotiate the contracts so that if you don't use sick days they go away at the end of the year 28,274 days accumulated is ridiculous. That’s 7.2 million dollars right there but I digress thanks for hearing me out

I was reading through the responses and I am going to repeat myself, particularly in response to BRICK RESIDENT's post......

This is a 25% local tax increase!!! That's a RIDICULOUS number!

The twp. explained in their 'fact sheet' it had a roughly $ 6 millon reduction in state aid and a $3.3 million decline in other revenue. As a result they asking the taxpayer to fix the budget gap of $8.4 million.

My first question is....how did we lose out on $3.3 million in revenue? What else are they not telling us.

Bottom line is....if the state reduced our aid and they are no longer getting $3.3 million in revenue that we previously were getting and are therefore asking the taxpayer to fork up $8.4 million, it sounds to me like the township is not making any cuts and just passing the buck on to the taxpayer. Granted they claim they are making cuts, which makes me suspect that they wouldn't have had enough money to operate even if there wasn't an $8.4 million shortfall. Just to reiterate and further beat the dead horse, the writing is on the wall. Vote NO!

Really Jose could not agree more, this is a no brainer. The NO pulls everything in place, and like starting from the starting gate. We really don't need more taxes for the same service, which by the way is not the best. There is a lot of waste in town hall, and I would like that cleaned up first. Every taxpayer should get the best service, and nothing less. You should not be talked to like an idiot from these public officials. They use to laugh at comments like "I pay your salary" but they are not laughing today. And frankly I don't care about 150 people, as a tax payer I am concerned for the 80,000. plus residents. This is something this Mayor forgets, and now the people will be speaking loud and clear. There is no reason to use your real name, and go to town hall meeting. All you have to do is go in and vote NO, and nobody will no what you did. Who cares, back and forth with numbers, budgets, and threats....its crazy.

Unless you live under a rock, you have to be a idiot to use your owe name on this site.

I find it funny that people are blaming Christie for his 2% cap as the reason for all this when in fact all his 2% cap does is give the towns voters the right to vote on a cap overrun with the reasons for it. Otherwise I bet the mayor would have just shoved it down our throats in his bullying way.

Please vote YES! We can't afford NOT to have our town protected by our police force. What happened to us! We used to be one of the safest town in NJ! How can we take the chance of having the gangs and crimes take over our town by laying off our police officers. I don't believe we have enough of a police force to protect us anymore as it is! Weather the mayor is joking or not how can we take that chance! Cut somewhere else! And as for our garbage collection - I don't want to have to pay for private pick up! There has to be a way to cut spending in other areas! What about parks, recreation, Traders Cove? I'd rather see cuts there! Have more community & buisness involvement with adopt a spots to clean our parks & streets. Don't take away our police!

VOTE NO DON"T GIVE IN TO THE BULLY MAYOR SEND HIM AND HIS COUNCIL A MESSAGE.

Just got a call from a survey company out of Florida regarding this very topic. They wanted to know what services I think should be cut, my approval rating of the Mayor and Council, etc. Who hired this company? How much is this costing the tax payers? - I still have not changed my mind. NO, NO, NO! They asked me what I think should be done differently. I replied that raising taxes is not the “only” answer, only an easy immediate solution to larger problem. Our politicians need to be creative put their minds together and come up with alternate solutions instead of threating the public with service cuts. If other towns and even states can offer much lower property taxes and continued services, Brick should be able to follow suite.

When I moved to NJ in the early 1990’s I was surprised how residence of Brick don’t speak their mind (if they do they never follow up) and allow themselves to be walked upon and don’t get involved. – Brick residents just seem to take the continued abuse and punishment the local goverment dishes out. - WHERE IS OUR MONEY GOING?

First off, I would like to relate this response to something simple so everyone can understand - food. Let’s say you need to order a sandwich and you walk into the sandwich shop. The only requirement is that you have to make a sandwich purchase. The sandwich shop has a special, for $5.00 you get your choice of any sandwich, any toppings, chip and a drink. There is also an option to get the same sandwich without toppings, chips and a drink, however it will cost you $7.00 dollars. If I were a betting person, I would say nine times out of ten, the person would buy the special (because you are getting the same sandwich) with other perks for a cheaper price. If you still have not drawn a parallel, the sandwich was garbage pickup and the additional services provided by the Township were the toppings, chips and the drink.

Continued

Next, people are saying taxes have gone up 25 percent or they are proposed to go up 25 percent. Numbers can be manipulated, let me provide an indisputable example. If something costs 3 dollars, and the price is raised to 6 dollars, it has gone up 100 percent. Sounds like a lot huh? However, 25 percent of 3 dollars is 0.75 cents which is a lot more tolerable. Please keep in mind that the municipal portion of the budget is the absolute smallest. If people are outraged about their tax bill, look at the break down of your bill which is usually included with a tax statement. We, the taxpayers of Brick Township are getting a high level of service for our taxes. This referendum allows us to continue to have that high level of service. If it is voted down, we will still have services, just not at the level you had them (for example, no trash, no plowing, no leave pickup, no “hill”, no senior services, and most importantly no proactive police work.

Continued

I for one do not condone taxes going up unnecessarily and I certainly do not want to pay anymore than I have to. I am willing to pay for something that I know will be beneficial to everyone overall but most importantly myself. Needless to say, regardless of the referendum, your taxes will go up by at least 2 percent of your municipal taxes. You will be paying to either have your garbage picked up by the town or to have someone else come in and pick it up. Either way, you are going to pay. Some people who budget in their houses usually have two accounts to make payments for things: one for house related material and one for spare change (this does not include a savings account). You can pay to have all of your services through the house account or you can pay to have a portion of your services through your house account and spare change account. In the end you will be paying.

Please do not try and scare people by manipulating numbers, provide facts and the entire scenario like I always try to do.

I respect what everyone has to say and I appreciate the reasonable responses to these posts.

If I recall one of today's survey question correctly, they asked me if I was willing to pay $35 per month to retain the police and garbage services. If this is correct the average homeowner will be paying $420 more per year. When you add on the increases for the fire departments budget which was approved during a sneaky recent Saturday election when only about 200 plus Brick voters turned out. Then add on what the Board of Education wants. Guess what folks? Don’t live with blinders on… Your taxes are going to increase big time unless you vote NO!

Concerned I am voting NO and voting all incumbents out in November to send this group a message I hope everybody else does the same.

interesting debate on here

the no's have it. Vote no.

VOTE NO AND GRIP !!!

make every voter a TERM LIMIT against career politicians......doesnt matter R or D...when you fianlly realize there is NO difference between the 2 gang of thieves , you will have truly been WOKE UP !

Right on Jose

Once again, I am agreement with the points raised by Oceangal. I have a house assessed at $227,000. The portion of my taxes that relate to the school budget will rise less than $40. The quality of the school system is intertwined with the value of one's house. I know this from experience; my brothers and I own a house on the market in Rahway where the school system is not good.
With regard to the municipal budget, I SUPPORT it. The math is easy: my taxes are not going to rise as high as it would cost to hire private trash pickup (it's $320 per year in Jackson, not including pickup of recycling). Taxes are deductible for federal and state tax purposes. The cost of private pickup is not. Voting YES means that there won't be the anticipated police dept cuts. Crime rate also affects property value.
All of this is a quality of life issue. Cut out cable tv if necessary, but vote YES for both budgets. It is a relatively small amount of money, money well-spent, an expenditure that IS tax deductible.
Corral your disatisfaction with the council reps and mayor by focusing on the November election. Don't cut off your nose to spite your face. That is, don't vote against the budget because of anger towards the council and mayor. There is too much at stake.

since [Mayor Acropolis] makes more money in TR, I'd give up my Brick salary, have all my council members that have FT jobs give back their pay and benefits if their spouse's have benefits. I'd start there as a show of good faith, but then again, I'm not a politician, I’m just a silly humanitarian.

Dear Jonnyboy,
With respect to your March 30 post above: I believe the journalist, Dan Nee, told us that none of the council reps get benefits. He also said that one of the council reps gives back his salary.
I entirely agree with you that the mayor gets fulltime pay for two "fulltime" jobs. This is unconscionable.

Some people on this site really should calm down and take a nap or something. Maybe they need a sedative, there's gonna be a rash of high blood pressure !!!!!!!!!

My personal favorite::: Think snow vote no !!!!!

I think maybe you should call yourself "disgusting homeowner". your comments are no more than that of a babbling idiot, you contribute nothing to the debate. While I don't agree with everyone I will listen to the people who do it in an intelligent way. You should find a hobby.

what crime do you guys have in brick.serious stolen bike

VOTE NO!
What happen to Daniel Nee? Daniel why do you let 79 pass threats? I have not noticed one of his posts deleted. It is ok to say "Screw with the Easter Bunny?" Dan?
We all know the personal attacks Steve gives his employer.
You have no support in Brick " Easter Bunny" . You have no support in Toms River " Easter Bunny"
I am so upset, I am waiting for the Easter Bunny to come, You screwed with the wrong taxpayer " Easter Bunny". Talk about the biggest baby.. WHAAAAAA Steve... You did not get the Ice Palace! WHAAAAAAAA... Too Bad. You tried to zap Scarpelli.. Look in the mirror.
Whahhahahha WHAAAAAAA... NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!

VOTE NO AND VOTE OUT ALL INCUMBENTS SEND A MESSAGE TO THIS GROUP.

How does the Mayor predict that with this referendum passing Brick will be in good shape for the next 4+ years?
I do like my garbage picked up by the township, so does the rest of us seeing it overwhelmingly passed keeping Twp. garbage in November elections. They should save $$ and close on Mondays.
I don't like the idea of laying off police officers, although there are way too many cops in town making big bucks ($100,000+ count them). They should take pay freezes for the next 2 decades.
Vote YES for Referendum and SCHool Budget!
Vote NO on Mayor(when is time comes) and ALL Incumbent Council Members!
They have FAILED US!

JB I agree with you:

Vote YES for Referendum and School Budget on APRIL 27
In November, vote AGAINST Mayor Acropolis by voting out the current councilmembers

i like to play chess (and im actually quite good at it) so you always have to look 3 moves ahead and apparently the Mayor likes to play chess as well (but isnt that good at it)

IF you are foolish enough to vote yes , you are voting for the mayor to be relected because come relection year the Mayor will have your taxes raised to a high enough level where he will not have to raise or cut anything and use that as his campaign slogan the entire election, while everyone will have long forgotten about this important fight......than of course as soon as he is relected he will use the same tactics against you........rinse and repeat

so you do all the hard work for him and than he takes all the credit !!!!

anything but a VOTE NO is a vote for relection of the Mayor

No way Jose! I won't forget his dirty tricks..........I'm keeping my quality of life and I will remember what I had to pay to keep them. OR If I have to pay for Private garbage collection and feel the hit of less cops and more crime in town, I still will NOT forget!
The Mayor is going to be shown the door either way.

Wake up people you are being strong armed by them Mayor and Council send them a message VOTE NO and vote out all incumbents and mean it.

If you vote yes everything stays the same, and the increase will be about 25% easy......and next year another increase, and another in year three.......so if you make a lot of money and like spending it like a fool...vote Yes............But if you are like me, and care about your FAMILY, and your CHILDREN and where you will be living in three years.....you will VOTE NO.....we need to see what the township can afford, the yes vote just stays the same....balance budget DONE.....Please think of your CHILDREN, CAN THEY LIVE IN THE FUTURE BRICK.......Thank you!

Absolutely Gary we have to send this group a message and vote no and vote out all incumbents.

i changed my mind ........VOTE YES

APRIL FOOLS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Jose

I'm amazed that people on here are saying the police department will disapear! That simply is not true. Even if it did back in the day the State Police patroled Brick and did a good job of it. Then people are freaking out about the garbage pickup to which I have a question. If we were forced to go private pickup. Will all the trucks the township own be sold? All the one arm bandits, all the old trucks? How about all the one arm bandit collection containers? I will make a bet, if the vote turns out to be a resounding NO, that all the threats will stop and monies will be magically found. Acropolis may be a bully, but he's not stupid.

"What a tangled web they weave
When first they practice to deceive".

Toms River balanced there budget, Brick always compares it self to Toms River....um!
This is the time to fix the problem, and if it means the loss of 150 this is a small price.
Private pickup will be good, and in the long run save the township from a lot of money.
What is the big deal, everybody makes this out to big bad, why? This year I got Verizon
Fios installed, it felt good to change after having Comcast for 30 plus years with no choice.
Now I will get a change to pick my garbage, I am going with the company that will go in the yard to get it....how cool is that, Change and Choice is Good...Vote NO, THANK YOU

Folks, people change their cell phone carriers and the world doesn't end. They change their car insurance, change their cable and computer providers. Remeber when you only had 1 choice as to your tv/cable provider in each town??? Now that has changed. People can now even change their electric suppliers. It's called choice. Change many times works out for the better.

Steve's strategy since he came to power is very clear, he wants to get rid of all the Dems that Joe put in place over his many years in power. Guarantee this LAYOFF list doesn't include his ever growing friends and family club, the ones who all got raises this past year. This is the way the two party system works, he will lay off all of the "OLD" regime and start rehiring the "NEW" regime, meet the new Boss, same as the old Boss, isn't that how the song goes. Corrupt dirty politics the NJ and American way, and the taxpayers suffer as usual.

I really feel the Mayors days are numbered, if this vote comes in NO....So not to worried are his power. And when this is complete, many people will be watching this town closely. The time has come to fix this problem, and the only way is a NO vote. Anybody that thinks a Yes vote will fix it is a fool. The only thing that will do is continue the problem in the years to come, hoping for State money. Wake up people, this is what this town needs, stop thinking about the 150 layouts....Start caring about your family and children......The Township and PBA have the public brainwash over the garbage, and crime....its not that back. Everybody remember the Brick safest city story, that was all a little over the top. The crime is the same, and most of the real problems are in the Condo city area from the 70's "North Brick" and an easy fix if the cops started doing real street police work in these areas......Brick you better wake up, or your taxes are going to force you out................VOTE NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just vote NO if they want their council seats they will find a way to work this out send a message.

Don’t you realize that the taxes have to be raised because Brick is such an expensive place to live? The employees who live in this town depend on that increase from taxes to pay for their increasing taxes! – Paradox?

Concerned they need to get rid of the dead wood in town hall anmd the hidden luxuries they are hiding Vote NO stand up to them.

I was reading a story that is similar to the one here of a Town in the northern part of New Jersey. In that town the average property tax for a $350,000 house/property IS $10,000 per year for property taxes. Which is far above the amount here in Brick.

As they, "someone has to be largest and someone has to be the smallest". Unfortunately, New Jersey IS the largest just about ALL around. New Jersey has the highest property taxes ...... highest vehicle insurance ..... highest sales tax etc. in the country. Probably the ONLY thing that IS not the highest IS the price of a gallon of gas, which I can't understand because some pumps your gas for YOU and in other sates YOU pump your own gas. Hope they don't figure that one out ..... give them time AND the Politicians WILL.

If you feel safe in your community and enjoy your serices the way they are and are able to pay the $30 extra per month for a $350,000 property along with a slight increase in school taxes ...... VOTE YES

A lot of employees don't even live in Brick....
And 79 why don't you correct me with the exact figures "fool"
What does a cop make in Brick after 5 yrs. ?
And if we vote yes what will the increase be?
Waiting for your answer...........?
The bottom line this town is broken.......thank you!

79 the scare tactics aren't working we are voting NO to send those in power a message and we will go with GRIP in November till it stops bottom line.

".....And if we vote yes what will the increase be?"

I don't know YOU tell me you have ALL they false answers?? That FACTS have been drawn "MANY times" about what it WILL be, with a value amount ..... did YOU read those parts or breeze past that??

Ya know GEORGE I'm not going to waist my breath or fingers with you anymore with this story. Facts ARE facts and YOU surly do write this. Everything that I have written is a FACT ....... those reasonable thinking readers out there will weed through it ALL. You have good intentions but the facts are off.

79 it is still NO a simple 3 letter word we are going to exercise our power.

79 NO IS THE WAY IT WILL GO WE ARE SENDING A MESSAGE .

There was a factual mistatement on here this morning about NJ being the "highest" in so many categories. Our 7% sales tax is not. New York 8.25% on everything including food and clothing, Missouri, the show me state, 8% on everything including food and clothing. There a few others down south and west that follow suit. So please give NJ some credit when credit is due.

Take every one in your household who is of voting age and make sure they VOTE NO

Tell every neighbor and friend to VOTE NO

VOTE NO, Then GRIP and Watch them GO !

Absolutely Jose NO is the way to go.

Gary,
Please fact find before you throw numbers out there; you lose credibility when you are proven incorrect. A 5 year patrolman with the Brick Township Police Department makes anywhere from 75K to 83K base salary not the 109K you are talking about. You are off base by 34K to 26K respectively. In addition, a patrolman who has been on the department for 19 years does not even make that much.

CShorShell,
Police do if fact deter crime. There mere presence simply deters crime - do you see drug dealers dealing when a Police Officer is in sight? If you read case law, most drug dealers are caught by plain clothes Police Officers. Drug traffickers are caught by simple motor vehicle stops.

There is no way to accurately determine how much crime Police deter because there is no way to tell if a crime was going to be committed. Same thing goes for speeding. People speed, but when they see a patrol car they slow down. Do you ever see a car go faster when they see a patrol car? Why do you think there are now terms called "counter surveillance" and "look outs"? People fear they will be caught. Even when police are not around, there is a psychological term called "ghost police (I am unable to find a hyperlink at the moment to provide an example)" People are wired to think that Police are everywhere. Why do people look around and scan the area before they do something wrong? These few examples name just a few reasons why Police do in fact deter crime.

VOTE NO.. Every year the powers to be ask for more and more.This is the time to draw a line in the sand.Of the 278 comments 90% are NO,stay with your gut and dont change.Brian D. GETS A PINK SLIP from Merril Lynch,but the political club gets him a government job running the D.M.V. in Lakewood..Why not make cuts in town hall,rec and family before going after the two things we cherish the most. This move will backfire on them twice,once this month and in Nov. Same with the B.O.E. just keep asking for more...WE ARE BROKE,VOTE NO,THROW ALL INCUMBENTS OUT...

localexpert that is the way to go VOTE NO SEND A MESSAGE AND VOTE GRIP in November.

Gary,
A lot of employees do live in Brick. They probably live around you unless you live on the water. In my development, there are about 10 Brick employees.

Originally, I provided exact numbers in a response, but it somehow deleted itself.
If your house is assessed at 300K (300,000 x .000823 = you refendum increase) you are looking at approxamitely $342.00 tax increase, or 28.50 a month total for all three budgets. Next year your taxes will go up about 60 to 90 dollars or 6 to 7.50 a month - again for all three budgets. There will be no referendum question next year if this one passes.

Although I already answered a Brick "Cop" does not make 109K in 5 years. It is more like 75 to 83 - it depends if you consider if year 1 is a year or not.

I have noticed that one poster stated that their house was assessed at four times of 227K. This is not including that their house is "touching" water. Naturally anyone with a million dollar house on the water, would vote no, it is counter productive and not cost efficient. It is however possible that a person may, although I am not accusing anyone of this, will try to get people to vote no because it is in their best interest and not to a person with their house assessed lower than 350K.

Please vote on facts at hand and cost savings. The time to be angry with Politicians and to send them a message is in November. Please make an informed decision.

Gary April is the time to vote NO to let the politicians know we are tired of fiscal mismanagement which got us where we are today.

about 10:45am today I was lucky enough to see one of our Twp employees in one of the Twp small white pick up trucks driving on Rt88, turn right on Midstreams Road all while talking on his phone held up to his left ear. i couldn't make out the truck # but it's nice to see that the rules of the road don't apply to those that drive our trucks, maybe this person wasn't to concerned about his job.

I want to add that our town has so many stupid laws. One for example is that you have to pay $5 for a yard sale permit. I always obey the law and purchase my permit. Advertise, put up signs (never on street signs or telephone poles) and collect them every night. I was tired of my neighbors setting up shop without a permit piggy backing on my advertising. So I complained to town hall… Guess what. There is no one from code enforcement who works weekends. I will never pay for this permit again and advise anyone if you want to have a yard sale on Saturday and Sunday on impulse just do it. Why does the town have such stupid laws in place when they don’t enforce them? DUMB, DUMB, DUMB…

Concerned they put more energy into these type laws than they do on the financial problems that are really hurting the community as a whole.

First sorry to get everyone upset...the better line is they do make that much. It may require overtime, but the average cop after 5 years is taking home 109k, and talk to me next year about the 25% increase.....you people are all fools......this is the time to fix the problem and you wish to continue to pay more every year,,,,,FOOLS

I've got a great idea Mr. Mayor! Why don't you take some of the money you earn from your second full time job in Toms River and donate it to Brick, and we wouldn't have a shortfall anymore! If you think you are going to bully the people of this township into voting your way, you have another thing coming to you! I say NO! NO! NO!

concerned,

Your dispute about you taxes stem from the founding fathers of this country. The way taxes work are based on your ability to pay them. Therefore if you have a million dollar house then you pay the applicable tax. You can not be angry at the current politicians because this has been around longer than your time and mine combined

This referendum will only be for this yeat, this has been discussed at many counsil meetings. This referrndum is to adjust in the transition of the tax caps and changes in tax laws.

Finally, to judge the police by one facet of their job simply is not fair. I didnt hear anyoone complain when they took a gun off of a guy at a local 711 store. Besides, I am sure the police would have responded to another call if,neefed dispite if the ducks were still in the road. The only difference then is they would be labeled as people who do not care about animals. The police in this state especially are never appriciated.

well I can tell you the average public works employee is not even making half that after 10 15 and 20 years and for the few who may be lax there are many more hard workers giving back the little raise that they got.

For the property owners who pay the average or below don’t think this is the end of your tax increases. You need to look at the percentage amount of your tax increase. Why it might seem low at $35 there will be more added to it this year as well as next and so on, maybe by the same percentage, maybe less or more. The point is that if you want to make a statement to the powers that be that they need to control spending better, vote NO. If you vote yes, the abuses will just continue. Even though personal situations are different for every family, are they really? I was always a hard worker but never earned more than what the average police officer is making in Brick, but I knew how to budget. While I may live in a waterfront home, I’m not a recent wealthy buy in. The property was in the family since the 1940’s. I pay almost double in taxes a year versus what the property and house cost. Lofty taxes have cut into my discretionary income. High taxes also hurts local restaurants and businesses. -- I spend less. My personal choice is to put my home up for sale, downsize and enjoy a better quality of life elsewhere. Think about qualtiy of life. You only live once. Why spend it working two jobs with no personal time, or working to get extra income in your senior years.

It was mentioned that other NJ towns charge more in taxes versus Brick. That is because their spending is also out of control. To compare another town in North Jersey with Brick is irrelevant.

79 the word is vote NO NO and GRIP in November it is time for a change we are tired of all the excuses we want results.

George ....... which NOVEMBER do you mean?? and what IS you explained meaning?? ...... the only one I know IS November 6th 2012, when one term NOBAMA will be voted out of office??

79 the four council seats that expire this year and I didn't vote for Obama either.

Christina Weaver GRIP is an acronym for Get Rid of Incumbent Politicians OK.

The bottom line here is that it's a quality of life issue.
It's not just about public v private garbage or 171 more people on unemployment including 29 police officers.
Privatizing garbage means no recycling center, no dropping off brush or bulk items in its proper place.....instead we can dump it in the woods!
No township workers mean no snow removal, no recycling, no park cleanups........who will be taking care of this?
Less cops mean more opportunites for criminals.

I will be voting for a better Brick Twp. by voting YES for the Pride I have in Brick Twp (my hometown), my Kids and their future, and my overall quality of life.

I will be voting NO, as soon as possible, to ALL Incumbents and Acropolis!

Am I happy about the increase? Hell no. I will have to make more sacrifices. No flat screen tv purchase this spring.........still don't own one!

Acropolis and the council should be all recalled from office immediately JB.

I agree. How do we get that started?
He/They have shown a complete failure in fiscal responsibility, poor decision-making, and poor planning.
They have all committed political suicide with this referendum (pass or fail).
And Scaturro has the audacity to run for the Assembly. They completely have no regard for the General Public and are self-serving, egotistical political ----!

GRIP,(get rid of incumbent politicians) was a taxpayer revolt movement originated by the 101.5 radio station in Trenton a couple of years ago. Don't know how involved they still are in this movement. So don't GRIPE about GRIP !!!!

CShorShell/clamdigger
Here are my responses to your various comments. First, I never claim to be the person with all of the answers; however everyone on this forum can understand and appreciate how I provide facts and references for all of my posts.
First you talked about how things may change next year when Christie may or may not cut state aid. We can all assume about things but we know what that leads to. Also, the world could come to an end tomorrow, they day after that or the day after that. We need to simple prepare for the future the best way possible and cross that bridge when it comes –this is regarding the current Governors habits.
As far as cost savings between private and public trash pickup, I have also said it many times how it is cost beneficial – even Concerned Citizen, a person who openly admits he/she will vote no agreed that for $28.00 a month he would vote yes. Unfortunately he/she is not in the same boat and will be taxed at a much higher rate due to his house assessment.

continued

Please tell me how you can get private pickup for less than 250.00 a year – how about $300 a year? This does not include other services you may use. Certainly please provide me with an example of how you are going to get your street plowed for less than that including it in your private garbage pickup or even have an officer respond to your home for a burglary. Please do not say how this last years snow fall people were stuck for three days – be happy it was only three days because it would have taken a while for the streets to melt enough to be able to drive on them.
You can refer to your previous posts about your cost analysis, which I attempted to look through, however 300 posts are a lot to scan. If you would please provide me with what exactly your numbers are, I would able to be more thorough debate.

continued

I agree with you that the Government needs to downsize, however it needs to be done properly. Just flipping a switch and laying off half of the Township should not be the answer; especially when we the tax payers are going to feel it the most. Transition needs to be made and attrition policies enacted in the town are already curtailing salary costs. I encourage you to submit an O.P.R.A. request on the number of employees from 2006 to 2011. Political appointments are not included in what I just said, but that is something that should be addressed come election time, not referendum time.
Next you talk about bringing up facts and truths. I am not attacking you, but I will correct you in your own statement with regard to officer’s salaries. November’s ballot statement stated they wanted to hire an officer at the average salary of 159K. If you go based on just what you read, that means there are officers, in theory making 318K since 159k is the average. To dispel your suspicion, I will provide you with factual documentation that is easily accessed via the State of New Jersey website. If you wish to dispute me, please take a look at this link: http://www.state.nj.us/perc/

continued

Here you will find, by law, a copy of all Public Employees contracts. A top patrolman in Brick Township is compensated for 103K (estimating 3 percent cost of living increases). That is way below the accusations that an officer “brings home” 109K. If an officer is taxed at 30 percent, and allegedly brings home 109K that means, before tax they would have to make $141,700. Yes officers make overtime and quite frankly its probably because they earned it. You see most officers on construction sights right? Well they are usually being paid for by the construction company. So when a drunk driver takes out a telephone pole and cuts power to your house, that patrolman who is on the side of the road ensuring the safety of the work crew is actually assisting in getting you your power back
I welcome an intellectual debate at any time. I look forward to your response and I hope it is reasonable and factual not personal and opinionated. Also, please correct me if I am wrong, but provide a citation so I could verify where I was wrong.

37 in PD make over 100K as of last year. Search Brick. 1=police.

http://www.nj.com/news/bythenumbers/

median Household (not individual) $47k
http://www.city-data.com/township/Brick-Ocean-NJ.html

I don't mean to pick on the police, but how can we justify paying so many DOUBLE what the average household in town brings home? And these guys still have plenty of time to work overtime and a second job. Public workers salaries have marched upward along with their pension and health care costs to the point where the rest of us are about broken. This issue is being repeated all the country in mature areas where growth has slowed or stagnated. I'd trade my job in heartbeat for that kind of salary so close to home.

And don't start with it's dangerous work. I'll bet my 140 mile round trip commute is far more dangerous.

Brick Resident I agree with your figures they don't really reach 100k unless they are a sargent on up.

Catpan those over 100k must be sargents on up right.

Catpa
Although I can not say I know what driving an emergency vehicle is like with ligjts and a siren, I do know what it is like to drive 70 miles in one direction. I would much rather drive on a highway than in a city, never the less Brick. We do not pay police just for the dangers of the job but by the level that we need them and the exposures they are trained to handle. Police get paid well. They also do a job that most of us would not want to do.
George you are correct, if you look at the most recent Police Audit, you can see that there are over 30 superior officers hence the salaries.

Data base only provides a column that indicates years. No rank provided.

Brick Resident and Catpan this is what bothers me with the budget
The amount to be raised by Municipal Taxes is $68,175,396.
The amount last year was $54,866,000.
That's more than a 24% increase!!!!

Not sure what the point is about them being sergeants. Bottom line is that the personnel costs are high. Maybe the force is a little top heavy? You can't blame any one officer by any stretch. Who wouldn't do what is best for their family? This is a problem that has slowly developed over many years. And not just with the police.

Where did you get the 68 million #?

Catpan, I can honestly tell use that the cop listed on the app site making 68,000 thousand is doing 100,000 thousand with overtime........the bottom line is most cops in brick hit 100,000k....and the property taxes will go up 25% per house....why does the mayor hide the true fact about the private garbage cost, he knows it; $400 per year average... lets wake up and fix the problem now!

Just skimmed over the 2010 financials. That'll make your head spin.

George - not sure how much info the CPA had, but there are so many moving parts when it comes to these budgets, that it hard to comment. But wow 500,000 from red light camera revenue!

Gary - it is safe to speculate that the officers take home more than the amounts shown in the data universe. I was just trying to contrast the officers salaries with the median. Hard choices need to made and it won't be painless.

Catpan and George,

The police department has not hired since 2008. Naturally when you have 15 or so officers retire and you do not replace them, their burden gets passed onto the remaining officers causing overtime. The police audit, which was ordered by the town to determine if the police department was running efficently concluded the department was running very efficent and the needs of the department could not be met without adding 6 to 14 officers.

i would cut EVERY single cop from the bottom all the way up to the top and then offer their jobs back at 60,000 a year .....take it or leave it.....and then open up the offer to any qualified individuals who want it and we could even hire 20 more officers and be safer and still save alot of money.....WIN -WIN

To all concerned: There is a website www.brickpd.com/roster.htm This site shows you a complete roster by badge number from day 1 of the brick pd. Badge #, name, rank in the dept.(capt,sargeant, lt. etc) current status(ie deceased, retired, resigned, dismissed, demoted, resigned, or terminated). From there you can take anyone's name and go to the datauniverse site where the pay that it shows it the persons BASE PAY GROSS, NOT TAKE HOME OR NET. The figure does not include any overtime or stipends, etc. at all. Currently this site shows badge #1 thru badge #240. I do not know personally if anyone was hired after #240.

Hopes this helps folks get the info they're seeking.

PS, If the person is not currently actively working in brick, they won't show up on data universe payroll info. list. sorry

What is the new van thats at townhall the lettering on the van is Brick Township Wireless Communication Division...? Are they joking down there......all I can say is now is the time to fix the problem. All this waste has to stop, I need to see townhall working at bare min. I NEED ALL TOWNSHIP DEPT. STRIPPED TO NOTHING..............Thank you!

The ignorant few who continue to try to convince others to vote not should MOVE OUT of Brick. The fact of the matter is this; Brick Residents still pay 20% less in taxes then the average tax payer pays in the entire state of New Jersey. These people could care less about what this town will look like a year from now, and they will be the first ones screaming when and if the town goes to crap. Believe me residents ARE becoming informed and these few are the MANORITY not the MAJORITY they have nothing better to do with their time, just look at what they do all day, they are here posting false and biased information while the rest of us work for a living. Fortunatly another resident started an event page on facebook for Brick VOTE on April 29th and they already have hundreds who are voting YES. So for those of you who are on here bashing your town, your wasting your time. Intelligent people will vote YES and keep our town one of the best places to live in New Jersey.

Brick Resident, really ...I am tired of all this, how did this happen???? Un answered questions. And you are just going to vote yes because we pay 20% less then other towns. What are you an idiot, move out of Brick, are you really a complete moron. You give them the money and everything stays the same. And what about next year, answer me that, another 25%....Are you for real, how could anyone making less then $50,000 live here. Its only a matter of time and a lot will be moving. But for now I am here and enjoying life in Brick, I don't have any real problems, like you! But the vote will be NO, and you and your 100 on Facebook will see. There is over 100,000 in Brick in the summer, and the vote will be No, unless you live under a rock. Thank you!

Brick resident we don't want the taxes going up high like North Jersey where alot of the present group came from because theycouldn't handle the high taxes.

I dont know how someone else is posting under the name as me but I for one was certainly sleeping at 435 am. Can someone look into this for me? Also, I will be responding shortly to previous comments.

CEDAR VILLAGE : 225 HOMES

GREENBRAIR 1 : 200 HOMES

GREENBRAIR 2 : 600 HOMES

LOINS HEAD NORTH : 330 HOMES

LOINS HEAD SOUTH : 600 HOMES

The PAVILLIONS : 250 HOMES

PRINCETON COMMONS : 400 HOMES

SEAVIEW VILLAGE : 289 HOMES

WEDGEWOOD PLACE : 149 HOMES

WINDING RIVER : 255 HOMES

(10) 55+ SENIOR COMMUNITIES IN BRICK / 3298 SENIOR HOMES IN ADULT COMMUNITIES IN BRICK, NJ

Geeeeeee ...... I wonder why the "median income IS so low???

I do not understand why so many emplpoyees (171) including many police officers would be laid off if they 2% cap referendum fails. The #'s just don't add up. How much does the mayor want to spend? If the cap was 4% would that mena only 85 employees (1/2 of 171) would get laid off? If the police lay off 27 officers then literally, the lives of some people are at stake. Seems to me that there should be some real intense scrutinization of this budget, by a un-biased team. There's way to much talk and political posturing going on, and very little intelligent dialogue.

It really does amaze me at how people make such uneducated comments on a public forum and attack others for absolutely no reason. It seems that despite everyone knowing that politicians and those in charge of running the government are the ones truly responsible for the financial problems of the state people continue to follow them like sheep and believe every word they say. Who reading this with any shred of common sense believes that teachers and police are the reason this state and the country is in a financial mess? Its the people that run the financial sector (The same wall street investors that "speculate" on oil and get rich on stock), the politicians who squander money to further their special interest groups so they can get elected, and government mismanagement of money that have brought us here. NOT your son's third grade teacher, NOT the cop who just responded to a suicidal person threatening to slit their wrists, NOT the guy who picks up your trash..seriously people! Every politician chooses a scapegoat to blame for government failures, and the public eats it all up! Now the scapegoat is public workers, are you serious??? A person, an individual is smart. However people as a mass are ignorant. Please don't blindly believe a politicians (or their followers) talking points!

Most politicians seem to get involved because they all the money in it for them at taxpayers expense.

As far as the referendum 2 points. First of all for the vast majority paying the increase through property taxes will be cheaper than paying a private collector. Period. Its tax deductible that way, a private company is not. A private company can change their rates on you every year (and they will - look at your cable and phone bill) and you'll have to either haggle with the private company for a new "package" every year or switch providers every year. Personally who wants to go through all that hassle each year, just to end up paying more anyway?? Seriously, common sense. Yes if you own a 1 million dollar home then private trash is the way to go, but I don't think many of us here own expensive pieces of property. And if you do... then why are you bashing that public workers make too much??? What do YOU do that you earn so much money? Maybe YOU are the one that the company should fire every employee and then offer to rehire them at half of what they are making! Because that would be absolutely fair to you right??

Most politicians seem to get involved because they see all the money in it for them at taxpayers expense.

No matter what the outcome is the citizens of Brick "WILL PAY MORE" one way or another and that's a FACT ..... win or loose they WILL pay. The shame of the matter IS the Property Taxes in the State of New Jersey ARE the highest in the country. I would hope that ANY reasonable thinking person would do the math and see that to keeping the services as they are, YES the taxes WILL go up $350 per year OR $29 (rounded) per month / for $350,000 property/structure AND less for a less valued property AND more for a higher property AND again that's a FACT. The increased amount of property taxes you pay, can be written off on your yearly taxes ...... garbage pick up (which will be probably +/- $280 per year OR $24 per month (rounded) and that as best a FACT that can be gotten.

There ARE few here that still continue to bring POLITICS into the VOTE and that is wrong. It's like a Police Officer that pulls a motorist over for a violation and basically had the intentions of only giving the driver a "verbal warning" .... however, upon talking to the driver that was courteous and respectful the "back seat passenger starts to mouth off to the officer .... AND the officer now being upset "issues the driver a summons for being upset with the passenger"??? That IS wrong AND similar to the posts in this comment section. Don't be mad at the 29+171 for your dislike of the politicians in BRICK ...... VOTE YES

And second point enough with bashing police already. Again its ok for a manager at Walmart to make 100k a year salary so they can sell you merchandise, and for the shareholders of Walmart to be millionaires because they succeeded in selling you merchandise that you don't even need, but its not ok for a police officer to make 100k a year. Are you kidding me? The manager at Walmart NEVER has to arrest a crackhead strung out on drugs, never has to chase someone who stabbed another person and is now hiding behind a shed (which happened in a nice part of town just days ago as reported here!), never has to forcibly take an HIV positive person to the hospital for a pyschiatric evaluation because they want to kill themselves.. the list goes on. There are no public forums out there bashing graphic designers for making 200k a year and doing nothing but working on a computer and taking 2 hour lunch breaks! God people!

This town, as any town with a population of around 80,000, has a large criminal element that is growing. Gangs are surging here as they are in Lakewood and Toms River. An officer tragically lost his life patrolling the streets of his town but a few months ago... yet he made too much money? Disgusting that anyone would demean what those people do on a daily basis. Literally disgusting. Our department is smaller now than it was 3 years ago, and the problems in this town are increasing. Anyone who wants to save money on their taxes at the expense of a strong police department are fundamentally ignorant. If you want cheaper property taxes move to Keansburg or Asbury Park. Taxes are much cheaper there! Oh wait, you don't want to live there do you! Guess what Brick will look like in 5 years! Remember that you get what you pay for, you want a smaller department, staffed by people that will work for the cheapest salaries, with the least amount of education and experience? OK, go for it!

Clam,

In response to the number of officer that the Police Audit mentions I would like to clarify and try to make it make sense for you.

First, the audit stated the department was running efficiently however the operative wording is and. The audit concluded the department is running efficiently, as if it is managed correctly. Some examples that it is running efficiently is that there is the correct supervisor to patrolman ratio, and there are correct divisions within the department. Now, moving onto the operative word and. The department is running efficiently and (operative word) it needs additional personal to maintain the demands of the department. If you look at page four of the audit, under the Executive Summary you will see the following: “There are staffing needs in the Department that cannot be met without adding new personnel.” Also, if you continue onto page five, you will see this: “Staffing in Patrol should be increased by 6 positions (assuming SET and DARE continue to be used to meet Patrol needs). An additional Sergeant and four officers should be added if finances improve allowing for SET to be reinstituted.” On page 7, the audit recommends an additional Detective for staffing needs in the Detective Bureau.

These recommendations, which were made by a neutral third party adds up to 11 positions, which is just shy of my 14 number. However, this audit was done last year, and according to the Brick Communicator, they have had three people retire within the past few months alone bringing the 11 up to 14.

As I previously mentioned, I do not know how another person with the same name as me is posting. The post at 435 am was not me. The easiest way to see this is simply just click the name posted before the post and you will see the posts associated with that name.

To address Clam saying that he things I’m a politician specifically in your post “I'll tell you this much I'm beginning to feel like I'm being pushed and pressured by the Twp and if I continue to feel like I'm getting pushed further I may need to help spread the news.”

I can rest assure you I am certainly not a Politician. I am sorry if you feel you are being pressured by the facts I present. I also present my facts with citations how I was taught to do in my college classes. As I previously stated, I am a college student and I am actively working on my graduate degree in Public Administration so I can offer a lot of information to help the public make an informed decision.

Other than one or two posts where I definitively say vote yes, I am simple just trying to keep Brick the Township I grew up in and the Township I want to remain in. If the services decline and the taxes do not go down, I feel I may have to move out of town and possibly out of state.

Finally to clam, I respond to you because you form a reasonable response and present it in an intellectual manner. I do not know who also posted under “Brick Resident” and his post is ignorant in its own. No one should be told to move out of town if they do not like it – the ability to debate is why our nation is the best nation to live in. Government is supposed to be for the people by the people. If you no longer want to debate about topics, that is fine with me and I will no longer respond to your posts. Please do not feel as if I am pressuring you. I am here, as a concerned taxpayer of Brick, and I want what is best for my community. Also, if I can make one request, please do not insult me and think I am a politician along with threatening you may help spread the news. You can make assumptions, however, as I previously stated, we all know what happens when you do that.

I feel I am a reasonable, level headed person who makes the best educated decision I can. I would welcome the opportunity to safely meet with you to prove that I am not who you think I am.

As far as the imposter “Brick Resident” here is a link to his postings: http://brick.patch.com/users/brick-resident

I, being from what I know as the true “Brick Resident” here is a link to my postings:
http://brick.patch.com/users/brick-resident-2

I have to agree with a lot of what you say MGray. I fear the less Brick has to offer and the more we cut, the cheaper it is to live here. With the Jewish population taking over Lakewood, knocking down dumpy house and building bigger ones, many of those losers who rented those dumpy slums are coming to Brick and surrounding towns. As we continue to lose service, Brick will no longer appeal to hard working people and families, something this town was always noted for.
There is nothing wrong with cops making $100,000+ a year. But can they work 15+ years first? Most of the cops in town make $80,000-$100,000+ /yr + overtime. + working sites, + school events, etc. I respect them and what they do, but don't you think if the salaries were between $60,000-$90,000, wouldn't the town still attract plenty of good policemen? Plus they can still gain overtime and work events at schools and sites................
I will still be voting YES!

The way to go is VOTE NO and VOTE THE COUNCIL OUT IN NOVEMBER send A Messsage to this Group.

I AM VOTING YES NOW! I hope my taxes double this year I would love to pay more 10,000 a year....loving it.....This is the best town around , here is my bank account take as much as you need.....enjoying it, harder please......you all sound like idiots........VOTE NO

Thank you to some people that have agreed with me on my comments. Again I didnt come here to get into arguments with anyone, I was just frustrated reading some of these comments and wanted to express my opinion in a way that didn't attack anyone. You are free to disagree with me, but I won't respond to any belligerent posts or someone blindly regurgitating mindless talking points that have already been debunked. Hope that everyone can make a smart informed decision when the time comes.

People need to stand up to this town and VOTE NO and VOTE OUT ALL COUNCIL INCUMBENTS send them a message.

I hate say it but anyone who gives in to this current Mayor and Council is asking for more trouble in the future because your Mayor is being told what to do by George Gilmore the county Republican chairman who he answers to.

On the towns website under agendas, they posted a summary of the budget for Tuesdays meeting. Acropolis is asking for 24% yes thats 24% tax increase!!!!!

To 79
....2 things..you are entitled to your comments and that is fine but please get rid of the "caps".
They are very annoying.
Second (and I may be wrong) the way I read the article the 171 layoffs include the 29 police officers, not 171 + 29 as you keep posting. Like I said I might be wrong, you might want to check on that. I will stand corrected if need be.

Im voting yes...not out of bullying, or politics. I just believe its the right thing at this time. Mathematically it makes more sense for as majority of the residence to vote yes.. For the people on the water and in newer homes..I understand their frustrations and concerns....Lets make the change in November.

Vote No it is the way to go don't l;et this current Mayor and Council bully you.

Anybody who votes yes to give this administration 8.4 million dollars without any detail as to how it is being spent has to be crazy.

here are few thing i never hear anyone talking about....

1. if you vote yes , your property tax will increase AND IT WILL also increase more every year after 2011 , as now the 2% cap is 2% on a higher tax balance.....so by voting yes you are agreeing to go over the 2% cap for infinity !!

2. if you vote yes, of course your property taxes will increase......if one day in the future, you can no longer keep up the theft of your money and the depreciation of your biggest asset , they will kick you out of your house and put your name in the paper as a tax deadbeat
if you cannot pay you garbage invoice, they can not do anything and you still have a roof over your families head

why would anyone EVER give the government that kind of power hanging over your head.....VOTE NO!

whats to stop that private garbage company to stop raising their prices annually? nothing..so for now it makes more sense in voting yes...ill vote for a change in november

Go Ber whats to stop the town from raising your taxes in the future.

Your right george..nothing. But for now.. the avg tax increase wil be approx. 250 -500 a year with keeping the services. Vote no the taxes will increase anyway and pay for your own garbage.. So for now.. for me.. im voting yes.. come november ill vote for a change. it is frustrating the council wants the blue collar people to make the sacrafices.. but he hides "his" people.. but ill deal with that come election

new to the thread.....neighboring towns like point boro schedule furlough days to cut expenses, does anyone know why that would not have been a viable option as opposed to laying off so many?

here is something no one ever talks about .........hidden inventory of houses for sale .....just read the chart ..and New Jersey is #1 ( even worse than florida, nevada and arizona !!!) .......this is the next wave that is going to crash the value of your houses another 30%.....they can not hold it back much longer......and you dummies want to vote yes......bunch of ignorant fools, keeping their heads in the sand...have no idea how much the world has changed , so you will eventually learn the hard way.....when your houses are underwater , your pensions are busted and your dollar is worthless

http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/why-the-housing-market-is-three-times-worse-than-you-think.html

Jag...not sure...anything should be considered to save money and jobs

hey Jose i have my opinion..you have yours...calling me a fool and dummy is only showing your lack of class and education. So shut your ignorant mouth..you belong on 101.5.. if you dont agree with them...they hang up on you..your showing the same narrow mindness.

Vote No send this current administration a message now.

we should all vote no then and dump our garbage on joses' lawn

Been sitting here for over an hour reading today's postings. The best 1 yet is the case of identity theft regarding " Brick Resident" here on the patch. An imposter has snuck in the back door. I too would like to know how this can happen on the site.

Gov. Christie recently complained about his high property taxes. Blaming "outrageous" public employee salaries. His 6700 Square foot home in Mendham Twp. on 6 Acres was assessed at $1.9M. His property taxes are $36,453.00 annually. In Mendham, 18.3% of that amount, allows the Township to function in all areas, salaries and benefits of... all employees included. In essence, he paid $6561.00 toward that.

Christie usually picks on the small guy because the big boys will jump him at the country club.

Joe Lamb,

You said you would debate anyone. Why don't you post what you think needs to be done. I would like to read your idea to fix the problem.

We all know how the town wasted money.We know that years of not raising taxes has also done damage. You know that the Mayor and Council are not going to give back money. How do you suggest we fix it. Tell me how to realistically fix it, without raising taxes and I will vote No. Stop writing that they have to give back raises, because it is not going to happen and it is not enough money to fix the problem anyway.

May 13 th they lay off 29 police officers. The crime rate will soar and then we will be screaming for police service, however they are layed off and not enough left to address the problem. What then? How do we get them back? The answer is you can't, the referendum was knocked down and no other cuts can be made. We can't vote again in 6 months to fix the mistake.

Bloods, MS13 and other gangs are here. Ask the residents of MapleLeaf park, how the like living with that problem and how much they want the police around. Be realistic and take your anger out on those you think deserve it in November.

Who cares about garbage, we have more serious problems