-WHY did Sparta authorize the issuance of $13,973,865 in bond anticipation notes on May 15, 2008? How much is THAT going to cost us? Are we so broke that we can't carry on the business of the Township on our tax receipts alone? TC minutes 5/15/08
-WHY is it that Byram can purchase $4.25 million worth of land, and spend only $212,000 of their own budget; but when Sparta buys land (like the $2.45 million Limecrest Quarry), we pay full fare? The reason seems to be that Byram spent much time and effort in obtaining monies from the Sussex County Open Space Trust Fund, the NJ Green Acres Program, the NJ Conservancy Foundation, and the Morris Land Conservancy. WHY DIDN'T SPARTA? (NJHerald 5/7/08)
-WHY didthe Township Council complain about spending $17,000 for a public referendum, and one month later pass an ordinance giving themselves--the non-union municipal workforce--a salary increase of $355,000? Paid for, compliments of us, the taxpayers! (TC 2008 Budget Message)
-WHY is it, that when THREE Councilmen asked Manager Underhill on October 9, 2007 for a statistical report showing numbers and response times of our Police Department, he responded "That is more information than should be made privy to the public!" (This information is NOT available in the Town Council minutes--you'll have to get the CD and listen to the unedited text). Our Police Dept. is some 40 strong, and WE pay for their Police Academy training, their uniforms, their vests, their guns, their cars and accompanying equipment, and some very nice salaries and benefits, too. WE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW!!! By the way--in the February 13, 2007 Town Council minutes, Chief Reigstad told the Council that the average response time was, at that time, SEVEN MINUTES. Why is it a big secret, some eight months and two more policemen later?
-WHY is it that Councilman Brady in November of 2006 (when they were deciding to merge our health department with that of the County) stated that a lot of people felt that the Town's ability to communicate was lacking and that people wanted to be more involved. He stated at that time that he "saw it as the community giving ideas to the governing body." We're STILL trying to communicate--and they're STILL not listening!!! (TC minutes 11/21/06)
-WHY is it that on November 21, 2006 Mayor Goldberg specifically said that "because of the recently approved school referendum, the Council had to be careful about spending more taxpayers dollars on expensive projects," and then went on to purchase White Lake for $1.45 million, put another $1 million into its "phase I" updates, and purchase the Limecrest Quarry for yet another $2.45 million (PLUS lawsuit)--just months before the tax bill for that new high school addition is put onto our tax bills?
-WHY when as Mayor, Goldberg proposed using the Township website to communicate with the people via a "Mayor's Corner"--that all the Township Council agreed that the column would be informational only, and would NOT be used for political purposes. (See TC minutes 11/21/06) Yet, our current Mayor Spekhardt used it for exactly that purpose! Township website--oh, no--they've taken it off the website!!
-WHY is it, that during the break in the garbage meeting on December 1st at the High School, Deputy Mayor Brady can be heard telling someone in the background that "This may have been a mistake; it may get them better organized." This discussion has also been "cleansed" from the Town Council minutes, so please, do get the CD--and listen to it yourself unless the official copy gets somehow 'damaged.' But we have one!
-WHY did the council raise the tax cap from 2.5% (allowed by law) to 3.5% by approving an ordinance that states "The township council hereby determines that a 1.0% increase in the budget for said year, amounting to $135,458.37 in excess of the increase in final appropriation otherwise permitted by the Local Government Cap Law." The answer might be, so they could up the property tax increase to 7% this year! (Sparta Independent 4/19/07)
-WHY does the 2008 budget utilize 100% of the available fund balance--meaning that there could be a cash flow difficulty in July? Perhaps we've purchased too much land this year? (Sparta Independent 4/10/08)
-WHY when considering a merger with the county's health department, did one woman feel she had to comment to the council "Are you (council members) really hearing us out here? I feel you're just looking at me and saying 'Okay lady, go away, the vote is already settled.'" (Sparta Indpendent 1/25/07)
-WHY was that same feeling re-iterated at the garbage proposal discussion, on December 1, 2007, when another woman asked the Council if their assertions that they definitely had NOT made up their minds yet were actually true, then WHY was there a police presence in the room--for the first time ever? Not in TC minutes--you'll have to hear it on the CD for yourself!
-WHY would we need to build a community center at all, when Dr. Morton himself said that the new high school would become a "true community center," with spaces for community groups and events." (Star Ledger 9/17/06)
-WHY did our Township Council vote to close the Township's Health Department to save between $7 and $9 a year in property taxes-- yet supported the synthetic turf proposal at the high school, which would raise our property taxes $27 a year (for a $300,000 home)? (Sparta Independent 5/4/06)
-WHY according to Ralph D'Aries, did Manager Underhill ORDER Mr. D'Aries NOT to speak at an open town council meeting? Certainly, he had the right to address the public! (TC minutes 1/9/07)
-WHY is it, that when Mayor Goldberg addressed the issue of opinion polls, he stated that ANY kind of survey needed to have AT LEAST 1,000 replies for it to be useful to the Council. (TC minutes 2/13/07) But, when the secret garbage survey was all tolled, there were fewer than 900 votes to be counted, and that was considered a valid study? (TC minutes 11/8/07)
-WHY is it, that if you go back into the Township Council minutes to October 9, 2007, you can see where Henry Underhill had already gotten two garbage bids, and he proposed that it would cost a flat $215 per house, and he anticipated "no more than $10 in administration costs (per house)! The administration costs are already up 150%--currently standing at $25 per household. That's almost $100,000 extra profit yearly!!
-WHY did the Mayor and ONLY two Councilmen meet at 7 o’clock in the morning at Town Hall on Tuesday 11/13/07 and approve over $4 MILLION worth of expenditures? Where was the public oversight? (TC Minutes 11/13/07 pg.1)
-WHY can’t we get a thorough accounting of the EXACT price that WE PAID for our new
-WHY did the Township remove the original garbage ordinance from its "Recent Township Ordinances" page, and replace it with their own news letter interpretation (which had already been mailed, at our expense, to every "Postal Patron" in
-WHY does the Township have a "Recent Township Ordinances" page showing thirty (30) new ordinances in 2007, when we, the taxpayers, can only access seventeen (17) of them? Why can’t we view the other thirteen (13)? (Township web page)
-WHY did Judge Bozonelis the highest Judge in Sussex/Morris County have to admonish
-WHY is it that
-WHY doesn’t
-WHY did
-WHY is it that while the Council was still debating whether or not to buy, or rent a pump for
-WHY is it that on June 26, 2007, Mayor Goldberg received 150 signed petitions from the residents of Sparta Commons regarding their inordinately high sewerage bills to find their plea fell on deaf ears? If those who use the White Deer Sewage System pay ONLY for how much they use, WHY are the people of Sparta Commons (and Main Street, and Glen Road, and Woodport Road, and Round top, and Sparta Ave., and Newton-Sparta Road) charged $306 per EDU (that being a 3 bedroom home), per 90 day cycle, assessed at 250 gallons a day? That comes to OVER $1220 yearly! (TC Minutes 6/26/07 pg.9)
-WHY are our Township leaders deciding what to do with the old Firehouses? Should we sell, or rent, or use them for a community/teen center? We want some input! (TC Minutes 10/9/07 pg.4&5, 11/8/07 pg.3)
-WHY is it that
-WHY has the Township Council invoked the Open Public Meetings Act in 24 of the last 26 Council meetings–thus excluding the public from any and all discussion–stating that the "subject matter will be made public when deemed appropriate." WHEN will it be appropriate? Who decides WHEN we’ll be told how much money we just spent for another land purchase? We want to have these records be made public! (TC Minutes between 10/10/06 & 9/25/07)
-WHY is it that--when Sparta provided the animal control services for Ogdensburg, Fredon and Hardyston, as well as for ourselves–that WE were the only ones who ended up with a 100% increase in our cat and dog licensing fees? Isn’t that inequitable? (TC Minutes 2/27/07 pg.4)
-WHY is it that, after we Americans fought so long and hard for our civil liberties, that the Police were summoned, and hassled both petitioners and those just handing out informational flyers–when it is a right granted to us under the First Amendment? This freedom of speech is not a new idea–we’ve have had these rights since 1791! (US Bill of Rights)
-WHY would one not think that if Sparta Township is able to increase the water Utility fees from $3.50 per thousand gallons to $4.40 per thousand gallons a 25% increase in March of 2007 (PLUS their hefty quarterly service charge) in one stroke of the pen– that they won’t do the same to the price of a Garbage Utility in the future?(TC Minutes 3/27/07 pg.5, New Ordinance passed 3/27/07)
-WHY is it that even when you go to the official minutes of the Township Council, that the ordinances are so sketchy that you’re not really sure what they’re talking about? As in, "an ordinance to amend Chapter 7, traffic?" Or, an ordinance pertaining to Block___ and Lot___? One motions, another seconds, and voila! It’s another new ordinance perpetrated upon us (and right in front of us)! WHY don’t we have LIVE streaming video online, that we can watch from our homes and know what’s going on in our own local government? Wasn’t that another campaign promise from back in 2006?(NJ Herald 6/11/06)
-WHY are we expected to fork up another $169,000 for a grandiose "People’s Plaza" in front of the
-WHY is the Township Council passing an ordinance with a minimum range for salaries for non-union employess in
-WHY is the Township Council now spending another $1 million for upgrades to
-WHY should we spend $4,000 to buy two bicycles for two intermittent policemen to peddle around town? If the idea was to interact with the citizens, wouldn't it be better if they walked, instead of whizzed by on bike? It sure would cost less, too! (TC Minutes 2/26/08 pg.5)
-WHY would we want to spend thousands of dollars for our own cable TV channel, when all we really want is to be able to watch Township Coucil meetings two times a month? (TC Minutes 3/25/08)
