To the Editor:
It is no secret that Sparta Township has been spending record amounts of money. Real estate tax stabilization, or even a possible tax reduction, will never happen until the local government wants it to happen by acting in a prudent and responsible manner. We Spartans are to blame for our financial run-a-way spenders. We allowed for a township government that treats our money like a “No Limit Charge Card”. This need to establish another Sparta utility, for garbage, has only one purpose, to bring in revenue. Figure it out; every utility can generate one to two million dollars in service fees alone. That is a lot of cash that does not need voter approval. This garbage utility, which they say is to benefit the citizens of Sparta, is only a ruse. Our town management will not be able to resist applying fees. Fees may not be charged immediately, but since New Jersey law allows any town utility the legal right to add service fees, or any other necessary charges, to a utility bill, it is only a question of when. Remember, the utility is the bad guy, not the garbage. This $240 fee for garbage service sounds so low, but it is only $60 below Blue Diamond’s current rate. That isn’t so great when you understand that Sparta will be doing the billing and collection for Blue Diamond. In other words, Blue Diamond will have no administration costs. Also, Sparta will borrow the money each month to advance pay Blue Diamond. So the big question becomes, where does this $18,000 of lost interest income come from? Are we going to take it out of our “No Limit Charge Card” account? Do not be deceived by this start-up dollar amount. Its design is to get the citizenry hooked. Once they have your approval and the utility is in place, the sky is the limit. This $240 charge will most certainly, in the blink of an eye, dramatically increase, and you will not be able to do a thing about it. You will not have any right to withdraw from the program. You won’t be able to fire the town and hire someone else. Whatever the total garbage bill grows to, you will have to pay it, because the government has the authority to sell off what you owe, creating a lien on your property.
The possibility of a senior citizen discount is an insult. First, you have to be below the poverty line in order to qualify, and second, if you do qualify, you get $25. What’s that? It is nothing. Seniors should be getting at least a 50 percent reduction in a community as affluent as ours, especially with our “No Limit Charge Card” system. Realistically, how much garbage do older people create? This is what you won’t get! Credit for failed service. If you are physically unable to drag your trash to the curbside, no one will help you. You will have to hire someone to assist you. There will be no backdoor pickup. If you are out of town for an extended period, or hospitalized, or on vacation, or live somewhere else for a portion of the year, you are out of luck. You will be unable to suspend your service and you will have to pay the mandatory dollar rate. Plus, no assistance will be provided to clean up the mess because you attracted the bear and raccoon populations to the banquet at the curb.
Since my involvement with this garbage issue, I have become aware of many other wrongs in Sparta’s governing process. Here are two examples. Homes in Sparta are charged different service rates for water. How could that be, after all, water is water. Does it take more hydrostatic pressure to push water to certain homes? Does the home that pays more get something extra in their water? Of course not, it’s just another income maker. Homes in Sparta are charged different rates for sewerage. Isn’t this “sewerage stuff’ all the same? These are residences, not businesses, and this is discrimination of the worst kind. This is discrimination hidden behind the secrecy of the prevailing “don’t publicize it” mentality, “Make it hard for them to find out”. We don’t deserve this from our government. This is a township, not a corporation or one of those secret government programs. Everything must and should be equal and above board and whoever created this method of operating should be fired. We as the people, gladly share the expenses of our town for a common purpose like our schools. We do not accept this discrimination and it should be removed immediately. If there is a price for Peter, then the same price should be given to Paul and Mary.
Of course, we are all to blame. When was the last time that you attended a township meeting? Just like you, I never attended those boring events. But I’m ready to change. If you want to see your taxes stabilized or even go down in future years, you must attend the township council meetings. Then you can tell them along with me to not spend $118,000 to landscape the front of the new town hall. You can tell them in person, not to waste money. You can tell them in person, that with the excessive financial burdens that the citizenry are facing due to falling real estate values and rising fuel prices, to shelve the proposed pay raises and to enact a moratorium on raises and new hiring for at least one year. You can tell them in person that this government needs to be downsized. Today, we are seeing extra money demands attacking the stability and growth of our families. We don’t need a government that abuses our trust. I am committed to this community and we all need each other to help in the stewardship of watching over its affairs. March 11th is a very important day for every voter in Sparta. This Garbage Utility Referendum Vote can be the start of a new change and an important philosophical re-direction for our town. I ask you to vote no.
Phillip Lid, Committee of Petitioners, Sparta
