How are Your Tax Dollars Being Spent?
It is no secret that Team Santiago is having trouble preparing
a budget that will not raise your real
estate taxes. Mr. Parent has stated at numerous meetings that this budget is a
tough one.
So why can you expect to see a tax increase?
1.
The 109 E. Main Street Demolition
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The no bid demolition cost is close to $2
million dollars and the bills are still coming in. For example, Aliano Brothers
will be paid an additional $82,840 to repair the wall damaged by the demolition.
Since 2003 the City has paid Aliano Brothers close to $4 million dollars for
different projects.
2.
Lawyers Fees
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How does an attorney who bid $55,000 to be the
city solicitor end up making over $240,000 due to change orders? Ask Team
Santiago. Either Team Santiago did this on purpose as a campaign payback to Mr.
Schroeder or they did not bother to read the proposal. Either way is Team Santiago who
the taxpayers believe should manage their hard earned tax dollars?
3.
New Hires
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Team Santiago has hired 40 new employees in
their first year in office. Eleven of those employees have been terminated
already. The cost to the taxpayers for the remaining new employees is over $1 million dollars in salaries alone. These full time employees then receive a benefit
package that will cost an additional $1 million bringing the total cost to the
taxpayers of over $2 million dollars. Remember this is not a fixed amount but
increases every year due to mandatory pay increases and benefit cost increases.
What was Team Santiago thinking? More election promises that they had to keep?
Hopefully the taxpayers will start to pay attention to what
is going on in City Hall. Hopefully everyone is saving their money, it is going
to be more expensive to live in Millville next year.
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