Bergen County Republican Candidates 2019

Bergen Republican Blast $48 Million

Spending Increases by Democrat Freeholders;

County Tax Levy Now Hits $437 Million; Debt Rises

                                                                                                      June 21, 2019

(Hackensack, NJ) The Bergen County Democrats inexorable effort to raise taxes and increase spending continues in 2019, according to the Republican Freeholder candidates Corrado Belgiovine, Alyssa K Dawson and Katie Cericola.

“Like governor Murphy, the Bergen Democrats continue to spend taxpayer money recklessly,” said Corrado Belgiovine, a Republican freeholder candidate from Woodcliff Lake. “And homeowners and renters are paying for the freeholders lack of fiscal restraint.”

The Republicans review of the current and previous Democratic budgets revealed undisciplined spending and a lack of transparency. The tax levy for the county has increased from $370.9 million to $419.4 million since the Democrats took control in 2015 (a $48.5 million increase). In addition to the $419 million – which is the official tax levy, taxpayers also must pay an additional $17.63 million this year for what is referred to as the Open Space Tax.

The combined tax levy of $419 million and the open space tax creates an actual tax levy of $437 million, which adds considerably to the tax burden of county residents, said Belgiovine.

The Republicans say the open space – which the Democrats tripled in 2017 — is misnamed; noting that so much of the tax is used to pay for things other than open space acquisition, including, engineering services, electrical and carpentry work and parking lots.

“The fund needs much greater transparency” said Cericola, an accountant. “So little of the fund goes for open space that taxpayers need to be told the truth regarding how the fund is used; and they should be given the opportunity to determine if they want to continue to pay the tax and if so, at what level.”

In addition to the county’s out of control spending, the freeholder board continues to borrow at a rapid pace. “Under the Democrats, the county debt has increased $21 million and each month the freeholders continue to add more to the county’s debt,” said Dawson. She noted that at the June 5 freeholder meeting the Democrats approved $65 million in new borrowing and spent millions of additional taxpayer money including: $80,000 for power tools; $100,000 for office furniture and $65,000 for radio advertising.

“The freeholders show no restraint in spending. If they want it, they get it. They don’t seem to realize that it is not their money they are spending, it’s the taxpayers’ money,” added Dawson.

The Republican candidates say that without dissent on the freeholder board, county spending and borrowing will increase. “No one on the freeholder board is really representing the taxpayers,” said Cericola.