Vol. 5 No. 3, March 2008
RSS Feeds
AC’s Financial House of Cards
The recent citywide revaluation raises property values an average of three to 12 times, shifting more of the tax burden to home and condominium owners. Higher property taxes affect both owners and renters. Do you think for a moment that landlords will not pass on the city-increased expense?
We’ve been promised a property tax relief fund with proceeds from the sale of Bader Field, but it will only squelch the flames of public discontent temporarily—there isn’t a Bader Field to sell every year.
Here are steps to deflate the bloated budget.
Evaluate existing personnel. Anyone not meeting the objective qualifications for a position should be fired immediately. There have been instances of multiple employees performing duplicate functions while important functions—like posting public information on the internet—are ignored.
For example, Weights and Measures was previously consolidated with the county, but during William Marsh’s short-sprint mayoral tenure, the department was re-created, adding two employees to a job the county had already been doing. Departments should work with the county to require fewer workers.
Sell city-owned vehicles. The city paid $2,086,496 for vehicle maintenance and $1,050,000 for gas in 2007. Have more employees car-pool and walk. Fire officials should not receive free vehicles. Volunteer firemen in other communities drive to the scene of active fires in their own vehicles and pay for their own gas.
Phase out cell phone plans. There is more accountability when cell phones are used only for emergencies and phone minutes are justified on a continued basis, rather than monthly plans allowing personal use. A reform would cut most of the $75,000 currently spent.
Don’t pay for dues, memberships and subscriptions. By all means, join the National Association of Assistant Tax Collectors. Just do not expect us to pay for you. The city paid more than $31,000 last year for professional association memberships, magazine subscriptions and civic groups. Taxpayers pay $144,000 for education and training. What are city employees learning?
Remember that council positions are part-time. So do away with benefits, vehicles and cell phones for council members. Deduct the salaries of council people who miss monthly meetings.
Don’t ignore allegations of harassment and discrimination. Taxpayers should not have to pay over $500,000 in legal fees, not to mention court settlements, to resolve these disputes. Every allegation should be investigated in a timely manner by an independent investigator. One lawsuit incessantly follows another against unprofessional city supervisors and workers—that’s unacceptable.
Shake things up. No elected official has pledged to accept only a reduced city budget—not the mayor, and not one member of City Council. Citizens of Atlantic City, stand up and re-stack the deck. The cards have been dealt against you.
