Letter: Incumbents Irresponsible With Tax Dollars

To the Editor: 

Time to connect all the dots for those that don’t know exactly what caused the quandary concerning the . 

I was shocked when I heard the unions had filed a grievance because the Township Committee in 2010 led everyone to believe the unions were on board with the furloughs when in fact the furloughs had never been negotiated.

The recent payout of $198K was indeed shameful and a slap in the face to the taxpayers.

The use of furloughs in Lacey in 2010 proved to be a costly error when it was intended to have the opposite effect during a tight budget year. Why was the budget so tight that year? A previous $500,000 financial error in 2009 messed up the delicate balancing act. The books weren't up to date, and the Township wasn’t sure it could meet payroll through the end of the year!

It is of utmost importance that a $26 million dollar cash flow be monitored very carefully by qualified personnel. The captain of the Lacey ship was off their watch when these errors occurred, and incompetence has prevailed. To this day, the Lacey Township Committee does not yet get monthly financial reports showing all current balances in their accounts.

Major financial errors cannot continue to be tolerated lightly. 

These errors brought to you by: your longterm sitting Republican committee persons backed up by an incompetent administration. 

On Jan. 1, 2012, the two newer Lacey committee persons declined to re-appoint labor counsel. Was it prudent to rehire the same firm that advised on the furloughs? Absolutely not. Who needs lawyers that cost more than they bill?

Lacey taxpayers should not have to pay for 22 free work days for the Lacey employees due to mistakes.

First, the township mismanaged their reserves by the loss of $500,000 due to a duplicate bond payment, followed by the $198,000 payout for furlough reimbursement. Can the Lacey taxpayers afford the incumbents? Think about it. The furlough mistake required an emergency budget appropriation. There were also thousands of dollars in legal and accounting fees needed to correct these mistakes. Grievance negotiations are not free. These two mistakes alone cost nearly $1 million.

And these are just the mistakes we know about. 

In the real world, when people make financial mistakes that affect a company's budget, they usually get fired. In Lacey, it has become legendary for individuals who make mistakes to be applauded and re-elected. 

This is outrageous and dangerous when so many taxpayers are suffering financially and get absolutely nothing in return. This is fiscally irresponsible and everyone who had their hand in it should be fired or forced to resign immediately!

Lacey voters — please stop voting for candidates who keep raising your taxes for their mistakes year after year! In baseball, three strikes and you’re out. The Lacey Republicans are on strike four in less than three years in my scorebook. Tax money is not a shell game. If the Lacey Township Committee wants to pay for their mistakes to keep their jobs, then fine. If not, they should resign.

Regina Discenza

Forked River