Hello, I’d like to have my two cents regarding the police retirement issue, thank you. A large segment of the senior officers in the LPD retiring is not a good thing. It will have an effect, but what else can be done? If spending isn’t reined in, then eventually the government (Federal, State, Local) will go broke and then anarchy will prevail.
You can’t keep spending without consequences. One of the main expenses in the government is personnel. Now, obviously, we NEED personnel in order for government to function. We NEED police to maintain order.
The Unions, and their incessant increases in salary and benefits, while at the same decreasing productivity, have created a very burdensome bureaucracy. At a certain point it becomes too expensive. Every government worker needs to be offset by private workers. As public employees become more and more expensive this causes more private productivity to offset that public work.
The way that this productivity is transferred is through taxes. So, as the government increases its size (in both volume and cost) it HAS to cause increases in taxes and the transfer of private productivity to the public sector.
When is enough, enough? I don’t know, but it HAS to be at SOME point! At SOME point in time you have to be able to say “no more”. Governor Christie, and a growing segment of the population is saying that that
time is now.
The police officers that are retiring are receiving the benefits that they have accrued. The citizens need to understand what’s at stake and the need for government rehabilitation.
(TLS welcomes your letters, by sending them to tlsnewstips@gmail.com)
But as Lakewood grows, so does the tax base – which should decrease taxes!
This has nothing to do with Lakewood. This is national and, specifically, the pension issue that is causing the LPD officers to retire is a New Jersey State issue.
First of all, the LPD is running shorthanded already, so the loss of senior officers or any other officer is too much. Attempting to cut the salary of people that do a job that not many others can do or want to do is utter non-sense. They don’t make nearly enough, cuts need to start at the top with Cristie and his 400k salary, and his life isn’t on the line. It seems to me he is coming after law-enforcement the hardest as well as teachers and public employees that makes no sense at all. He needs to be going after the people robbing the gov’t blind. I can assure you it is not law enforcement officers on the street.
To #1:
The idea that a growing tax base should reduce taxes is largely unfounded. Each new home or business places increased demands upon infrastructure (utilities, streets, etc.) as well as services (police, fire, garbage collection, snow removal, etc.) which nearly offset any increased tax revenues they generate. The only potential savings is in terms of “one-off” expenditures (township committee salaries & benefits, for instance) which can be distributed over the widening base. These expenses, however, make up a very, very small percentage of the overall budget, so their impact is negligible. Finally, any gains are more than offset by inflation accross all budget items.
Real-estate growth in Lakewood is unlike any other place in ocean county. Homes are being build all over Lakewood and are immediately moved into. There are several new business in Lakewood. The industrial park is filled businesses we have lower sales tax. So the big question is where is the money going? they don’t want to hire more cops if they retire, there is a 2 year cap on raises for employees. Whats the deal? People need to start asking more questions
The issue the letter is addressing is State-wide and Nation-wide. The pension fund fix is state-wide. There can’t be select towns that don’t get effected by pension reform.
There was no salary-cut discussed (maybe it should be discussed), this is pension reform. Christie is going after all public employees, as he should. Police will never be paid enough to put their lives on the line, but it’s difficult to reign in spending without, well, reining in spending.
The cuts on police get the most press. This is only for pensions, going forward it will have a more balanced approach. Hopefully it will help help fix the financial shape of New Jersey.
By the way, don’t make up salary numbers. Governor Chris Christie makes $175,000 a year. I’m not saying it’s a little amount, but it’s not $400k.
#6, The “salary cuts” are real, they are just coming in the form of benefit changes. When they change the amount an employee pays towards their healthcare so dramatically it is reducing their take home pay.
There are bigger wastes of taxpayer money out there. Christie should go after them.
to “Only in Lakewood” the industrial park is not filled with business, in fact the only new business opening are schools, no taxes collected there.
Wow everyone in some way is making good points it a first for the scoop! But if the issue is police retiring then why are they not hiring???? Replace what is the problem Lakewood could afford to pay the cops that are retiring so why could they not pay replacements?
Wrong, personnel are the largest single government expense. These need to be cut before anything.
Public sector pay is higher, on average, than private sector pay. This is fundamentally wrong and is, by its nature, unsustainable.
I thought BS is doing great work for us in the senate…. Why can`t he arrange a clause in the law that anyone who COMPLETED a full 25 yrs before 2011 isn`t affected. Only double dipping can have a grandfather clause not the Police officers.
Industrial Park is looks like a ghost town. For lease and sale signs ALL over the place. Not sure why no one of the committee is doing anything about it. I am sure there are many young people looking for jobs who would be thrilled to work at the Industrial park….
In Lakewood the average property tax is $6,500. The average house hold has 4 children at a cost of $9,500 per student to send to school. Do the math, the money is not being spent on police, fire or ems. I know many students goto private school, but public funds are being spent on busing, student lunches and special needs students.
Your numbers make no sense. According to your numbers we’d be having a 350 percent budget deficit every year JUST from the school budget. Which isn’t the case.
why everytime I post it gets deleted? truth hurt?????
As Lakewood grows, where do you think the tax base increases, it means more money , more taxes, paid into the system, like, Lighting, fire hydrants, garbage pick up, more schools, more books, more bussing, mpore sidewalks, more Police, come on, you think the taxes ARE HIGH NOW IN LAKWOOD,
Oh and and let’s ask the Governor, pleae replace the retirement monies that people already put into, and whoops the state robbed, when you have successully done this, then you can ask people to work 5 more years, or shall we say threaten them, if they do not retire.
“As Lakewood grows, where do you think the tax base increases, it means more money , more taxes, paid into the system, like, Lighting, fire hydrants, garbage pick up, more schools, more books, more bussing, mpore sidewalks, more Police, come on, you think the taxes ARE HIGH NOW IN LAKWOOD,”
I wish you had made a point so I can respond to it.
“Oh and and let’s ask the Governor, pleae replace the retirement monies that people already put into, and whoops the state robbed, when you have successully done this, then you can ask people to work 5 more years, or shall we say threaten them, if they do not retire.”
Umm, I guess ditto to my first sentence.