A Conversation About The Budget: Talking With Township Manager Marc D. Dashield

With Montclair on the verge of approving a lean $69.9 million budget, which would spark a property tax hike of 6 percent, Patch decided to sit down and talk with Township Manager Marc D. Dashield. One reason Montclair is in such dire financial shape is that its general revenue is projected to drop this year by 17 percent, from $18.9 million to $15.7 million, partly because of the growing number of tax appeals. As a result, events like First Night - a celebration that has happened for more than 20 years - won't be funded this year for the first time. Here are a few other things you might not have known - or understood - about the budget and how it will affect you and your services. If you have additional questions, please do let Patch know.

Q) What do people not understand about the budget?

A) What people don't understand is what we've already done. We've done furloughs. We've laid people off. We got people to contribute more for their health insurance. There's a perception that we have an expenditure problem. But the problem is revenue. We have seen revenues decrease by $3.2 million. People don't realize how much we've done. We've done all the things we were told to do. We've lost 25 positions from last year to this year. People don't see that.

Q) Where have you seen increases or decreases in expenditures?

A) If you look at the budget line by line, you'll see that the big increases are in things like health insurance and pensions. Most line items have decreased or stayed flat.

Q) How will the budget affect people in their daily lives?

A) We've let a lot of people go in refuge. People will start to see an impact. They'll start to notice grass getting a bit higher. It will take longer for leaves to be collected. We're down two funded police positions [to a total of 107] so if there's a ticket on a car parked illegally overnight that needs to be given, it might not be given until the following night.

Q) What about the outsourcing of something like sanitation and waste?

A) We're looking at this. You have to take a long-term view though. You usually get a low upfront cost but you have to see what the long-term impact would be.

Q) People are always talking about tax appeals and their impact on the budget. Are you asking Essex County to approve an across-the-board reassessment?

A) We're talking to them, but nothing official has happened. We're looking at reassessment now. There are issues here because of the volatility in the real estate market. Reassessment tries to make things fairer. Tax appeals place a heavier burden on everyone else.

Q) When will the budget finally be approved?

A) Probably not until late September. There are some amendments we're doing.

Q) What remains to be done?

A) The budget's been impacted by union negotiations. We ended up with another $500,000 or so. When it comes to furloughs, most unions are taking six days. All unions are giving back increases [in pay]. The budget will change by another $500,000. This creates a pattern for the future of talks with the unions.

Q) What about the cuts to the library, and the Montclair Arts Council, and the Pre-K program? Are they still happening?

A) These are things that are still under discussion. The Council is trying to find some money to put back into these areas.

From Patch: When it comes to the proposed budget, here are a few changes, looking at it line by line, from 2009 to 2010. Some $20,000 has been cut in funding for the Montclair Arts Council; there is no funding for First Night. You can look at it yourself here.

Library: 2009 $3,783,747; 2010 $3,083,749

Recreation and Cultural Affairs Salaries and Wages: 2009 $610,000; 2010 $549,500

Police Department Salaries and Wages: 2009 $11,689,486; 2010 $12,261,432

Parks Maintenance Salaries and Wages: 2009 $493,000; 2010 $481,596

Township Manager (staff of 9) Salaries and Wages: 2009 $717,297; 2010 $675,000

Township Clerk Salaries and Wages: 2009 $299,000; 2010 $297,000

Fire Department Salaries and Wages: 2009 $8,035,000; 2010 $8,202,988