CNB ARCHIVES July 2009: Budget Crisis or Lack of Budgeting?
Thursday, April 30, 2015
CNB ARCHIVES POSTED Friday, July 17, 2009
At the June 25th Gloucester City Council meeting I asked our municipal leadership why they have not hired new recruits for our Police Department. Acting Mayor and Finance Committee chairman, Councilman Marchese, responded to my question by stating that Gloucester City is currently in a budget crisis and is awaiting a State grant. I do not disagree with Mr. Marchese’s admission of our City’s budget crisis. I do, however, question the reasons that led to this crisis and the resulting shortage of Police Department man power.
The Police Department’s Budget:
In the past, our City has hired a new Police Department recruit, trained him at the Police Academy and had him ready to work the job before a retiring
officer left the department. This was done to avoid a shortage of man power. Officer Craig Reinhardt retired from the GCPD in April of 2008. If our City government had followed the described pattern, a recruit should have been hired towards the end of 2007 or early 2008. That being said…
Ø Why then, with advance notice, did our City Government fail to budget the hiring of a new Police Officer, for 2009, in 2008 when Officer Reinhardt retired?
Ø As a new recruit would start at a lower salary than a 20+ year veteran Officer, why has our City government not hired a new patrolman using the previously budgeted money for Officer Reinhardt?
Ø Most importantly, what will our Mayor and Council do if the State of New Jersey refuses to grant the funds to hire the additional Officer(s)?
Budgeting for Property Development:
Currently, Gloucester City owns over 150 properties with an assessedvalue exceeding $20,000,000. This total is the tax assessed value, not purchase or saleable value and does not reflect the total amount spent on code violations, maintenance, operations, administration, bond interest payments or personnel costs. That being said…
Ø If our City is in a budget crisis, why than has our government felt it necessary to continue to purchase additional properties like Amspec (for a total of over $5,000,000) and further the development of the Chatham Square Apartments?
Ø If our City government can make room to budget for property development costs why can they not budget to replace one Police Officer?
I believe the strain on our Police Department’s resources represents a clear threat to our overall public safety and at least demands the ceasing of speculative property development to reinvestment instead in our existing community obligations.
Respectfully submitted,
Wil Levins
Independent Candidate for Gloucester City Council, Second Ward
Comments
1: A Reader said...
Well stated.
We need people on council who will be a watchdog of the taxpayer money.
Reply Friday, July 17, 2009 at 11:23 AM
2: STRICKLAND said...
Great points Wil, I agree 100%.
Reply Friday, July 17, 2009 at 12:48 PM
3: dave townsend said...
Will, I couldn't agree with you more..especially with the city's "redevelopment" projects.
Dave Townsend
North King Street
Reply Friday, July 17, 2009 at 02:02 PM
4: Narducci said...
Looks like there is something that Wil Levins said that I can almost 100% agree with. We a citizens need to speak OFTEN & LOUDLY for our the benefit of our selective hearing Governing Body.
We ALL NEED to keep spamming the Governing Body w/ Phone Calls, e-mails, railing at the Council Meetings and talking with everyone we know in Gloucester City to make it apparent that we would rather have more police officers period. I don't care if I have to spend a few more dollars in property taxes to double our Police Dept. WE NEED IT! Can we spend the UEZ money to hire more Police if it makes sense to have a Safe Place to encourage Business' to locate here, or simply invest here, and how about RETENTION? We need to keep the business' we have here now from leaving the crime right?
Keep on this subject Wil, and maybe just maybe I'll register & vote for you, and you may even strike enough nerves in the voters to get yourself elected. We Need to DOUBLE our Police Dept. Cut the Fire Dept. budget in 1/2 and use $2 Million to hire Police, Detectives and Drug Task Force/Investigations! We aren't Camden yet, but if we don't do this, the future is looking DARKER every day! Looking for a Rainbow in the Dark!
Reply Friday, July 17, 2009 at 03:37 PM
5: disappointed resident said...
Yes, I agree with you strongly we need more police. What I don't understand why is everyone picking on the Fire Dept.
What we did not need is the purchasing of a Boat & Chatham Square Apartment's. I wonder what the Mayor & council are thinking at times.
It's funny they gave the Police Chief & Deputy Police a raise. What in the world is that all about?
Can someone please explain that one?
Reply Friday, July 17, 2009 at 04:27 PM
6: Narducci said...
Simple Math:
The 4 Police on Duty at one time: Watch for Motor Vehicle Violations, write tickets that bring money into the city while discouraging erratic driving and people driving w/o insurance, registration, driving drunk, suspended or purchasing drugs in town or from Camden. That list goes on forever.
The Police also must respond to domestic issues, bar fights, take police reports from hundreds of things from threats, assaults, theft, vandalism etc.
The also overwhelmed detectives must try to investigate all sorts of burglaries, drug dealing, sexual assaults etc. they can't possibly have enough time to devote proper investigations.
The Fire Dept: Sleeps, hears a call in another city and decide to get out for a while and take a joy ride to see some action, while speeding, and annoying people w/ their sirens to "act" like they are going somewhere important "OK, sometimes they maybe need, but RARELY"
Then, Back to sleep on their 24 hour paid shifts, yes, they get paid for sleeping just in case their maybe a fire that year, and they have to go show their authority by going to the fire that the volunteers are already on scene capable of handling, but they pull rank wasting time so they can have the credit, photo op and try to justify their jobs.
Who do we need more? hmmm... I think we need NO PAID FIRE DEPT. and we need to take that $4 Million from the Fire Dept budget and put some into rewarding the volunteer's for doing the same job for FREE. Giving them the right rewards, equipment and respect they deserve.
The other $3 Million plus can go toward doubling or tripling the Police, Detectives, Task Forces, Private Investigators etc. to eradicate Drug Dealers, Fences and any other criminal behavior that we can including housing/quality of life issues. This kind of stuff would get Gloucester City back into decent shape and show results by having decent people move into town instead of the scum we all are complaining about. Results like having business move into town instead of scurrying to get out of town.
Eradication of blight like the apartments will pay dividends for taxpayers for years to come by making that property something decent people will live in and next to. I do believe that a quicker & better thought out plan should have been, however that mistakes end result will get rid of a major problematic housing project. What we need is to make right hard choices like get rid of the Paid Fire Dept. and more than double the Police Dept and their resources. I'm sure that some of the Fire Dept can be retrained to work within the Police Dept. others can suck another city's tax money up, we don't need this bloated Fire Dept. mismanagement, for the FEW Fires we have in the last 10 years!
Hey Wil, take my ideas and run w/ them, maybe you can prove that you are worthy of a seat on Council to not just the taxpayers, but to the current administration. Show us that you can help make a Police Dept. model that will Jail Drug Dealers even the prescription drug pushers that are killing our society. We NEED ACTION, and someone w/ the balls to make the hard decisions and think outside the damn box!
Narducci Delphia
The Enforcer~!
Reply Friday, July 17, 2009 at 07:24 PM
7: Wil Levins said...
Dear “Narducci”,
I respect your passion and frustration on this topic. I get the impression, from the tone of your comments, that you may be someone close to the concerns of my letter. Before I respond, let me explain a little more about my beliefs.
I believe that government, whether it is municipal, county, state or federal, has three basic mandates:
(1) Create lawful boundaries in which society can function peacefully while maximizing the freedom of the individual (Ordinances and laws developed by our elected officials.)
(2) Protect and defend the rights and property of its citizens (Police and Fire Departments.)
(3) Construct and maintain the means in which society operates (public works.)
All other deviations from these three basic mandates can allow government to abuse its authority and overstep its borrowed power, even with the best of intentions. Likewise, a failure to fulfill these mandates is a failure to uphold the safety and security of the governed.
With the prior experiences of our governing body, I would expect that they would be well aware of the shortages in our Police Department, which surprises me that a greater effort has not been committed to our Law Enforcement.
As I stated, government has a mandate to protect the rights and property of the citizens it governs, which emphasizes the importance of both a strong Police and Fire Department. Few communities enjoy the benefit of dual, full-time departments as Gloucester City does.
I believe that in growing our community sensibly, we must possess the strength of both departments to maintain the public’s safety. We then can allow private builders to do the property development and speculation, while our government can direct funding to fulfill its basic mandates.
I do not believe the argument should be between departments but instead should be focused on our City’s planning and obligations.
Very respectfully,
Wil Levins
www.willevins.com
Reply Friday, July 17, 2009 at 11:25 PM
8: Where is Maggie? said...
We do need more cops two or three would be good. A drug task force is a little much, drugs are the same as it always has been. The problem is today people dont hide it as well. We dont have open air drug markets people dont come to gloucester to get their drugs. They may come through town coming from Camden and the cops in town do a great job pulling them over as the re enter the city. People need to relax and have a little trust Bobby Gorman screwed this city bad and I believe that the people we have in office now are doing a fine job. Wil nothing against you, you seem like a guy with the best intrest of the city in mind however I feel like we should allow the James Gang to finish what they have started.
Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 12:52 PM
9; LOL said...
Let the James Gang finish what they started?????????? THEY HAVE REDUCED THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO 29 AND INCREASED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO 34!!!!!!!!! ARE WE TO START CALLING FIREMEN TO SAVE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD FROM THESE LOW-LIFES WHO ARE SETTING UP CAMP HERE???? oh yeah, thats right, its not their fault, the federal government has given them grant money to hire more police officers. They only have money to hire 7 firemen. 1 of them they sent to the academy, why didn't they send a cop to the academy last year????? Let them finish what the started though. HAHAHAHAHAHA
Reply Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 05:24 PM
10 ; 16 Tons said...
LOL
You got that right.
Just what have they accomplished in the past 2 1/2 years?
Nothing except put us deeper in debt.
What were they thinking when they bought that boat?
Reply Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 09:00 PM
11;Where is Maggie? said...
Lets think about something for a minute had the council hired a few more cops, but them through the Academy and started them on the street, most of you would be bitching that your taxes went up. So they are in a lose lose sitution the truth is the city will most likely ger the grant hire one cop with that and then a couple more out of the city budget. Also did you see the new Police report on CNB most of the Sh*t bags dont live in town they are just passing through. So unless mayor and council have the ability to move our city so it isnt next to Camden all we can do is what we have been doing, locking up these scum bags as they come through. I bet if you look at Collingswood and Haddon Twp. police reports they have the same problems.
Reply Sunday, July 19, 2009 at 09:11 AM
12:Kelly Erlink said...
why can't we do a traffic stop on Broadway coming from Camden. Like what we do for click it or ticket or DUI. I too did notice that the drug stops are out of towners.
Reply Monday, July 20, 2009 at 09:50 AM
13: SNRoche said...
Ms. Erlink ...
We can't "do a traffic stop on Broadway coming from Camden," based solely on a vehicle's destination or occupants, because to do so would be categorically, undeniably and emphatically against the law.
Thanks.
Monday, July 20, 2009 at 06:42 PM
14 :My 2 Cents said...
You can do the roadside inspection type of thing w/ motor vehicle and randomly check for insurance, registration, DL
Also if there are any violations then you could check for warrants and have the drug dog there for searches.
Audubon does it all the time on the BHP and pulls people into 1 lane suspected violators and random insurance checks get pulled into the area entering Audubon Park. I the city would hire more cops they would probably pay their own salaries and then some by targeting Broadway,
Collings Rd/Essex St. just to name 2 good ones.
You would think with James & Hutch that they would remember where they came from, where they earned a living for the last 25 years or so. And what it once meant to be a deterrent to crime and drugs in the city. I wouldn't say they were lousy cops, but I would start to think that word fits when it comes to hiring more Police!
Just My 2 Cents
Monday, July 20, 2009 at 07:24 PM