Matt gives an interview to the Patch.
If you don’t mind, I decided to add some of my own comments in red.
Mayor Matt Doherty has unveiled plans for a new Belmar Borough Hall that will be part of a private-public partnership that redevelops a block of the borough. (Why is Matt even talking about this? He’s conflicted. He’s not supposed to have anything to do with it.)
This development will have no significant impact on the school district in Belmar, Doherty wrote in a Facebook post. But it will be a major benefit to our community, he said. (It’s funny how the first thing he mentions is the school. He must be feeling vulnerable on that point.)
For reference, he said, the development at 800 Main Street has 34 apartments with no children in the school system. In addition, 1000 River Avenue has over 100 units and only a handful of school children. (Yeah, keep those little brats away from here.)
The reason why is because these developments are not designed for families, heh saud, but rather for young people starting out and empty nesters. Single family homes are more designed for families. (Spell check on please.)
“As mayor, I would never advocate for a major single family development because it would have a negative impact on the school district as evidenced in other towns in NJ,” he said. “I have two children at Belmar Elementary School now (one graduating) and will have another entering in next year into pre-K. I think you would have to go far back into Belmar’s history to find another mayor who had as much of a personal vested interest in the school district as me.” (This is where “It Takes a Village” gets you. This is what you get when you socialize the cost of raising children. Instead of being a source of joy and happiness…and who doesn’t love children, or at least profess to?…they become a bad thing, a liability, something we need to prevent at any cost from coming to our town.)
Doherty said the idea that the school system should garner more money from redevelopment projects fails to understand that the school district is budgeted to receive financial assistance from the state in the amount of $1,037,000 for the 2018-2019 school year. That is a 6.3 percent increase form 2017-2018 school year. (The whole school aid program is a scam. The income tax money is supposed to be distributed equally between all students in the state. Instead the handful of Abbott districts get like 80% of the money. Belmar residents pay over $6 million a year in state income tax. Getting back $1 million of it is nothing to brag about.)
At the same time, ghe school population has decreased over the past few years. Meanwhile, the municipal government receives no financial assistance from the state,” he said. (Not sure about the population but please turn spell check on. And why should Belmar’s municipal government get financial assistance from the state?)
“In fact, we have not received assistance from the state in years,” he said. “So while the school has the ability to receive increases in state aid, the municipal government has none and must rely on its own effort to generate additional revenue outside of property taxes.” (Sounds like he’s jealous.)
In addition, he said the municipal government has a great working relationship with the school administration.
“We pay for several services (police, DPW) that other school systems are financially responsible for,” he said. “Trying to drive a wedge between the municipal government and the school district over money is a mistake in my opinion.” (Who’s driving a wedge? He must be talking about us. If he is he should say it so the article’s readers know who he is talking about.)
So while there will be no negative impact to the school district, he said, this development will be of major benefit to the town by providing housing, providing a new town hall and police department, providing a new modern gymnasium, providing a new parking garage and generating revenue in the form of an annual PILOT (Payment in lieu of taxes). (I’m against all of it.)
“And all of this will be done a zero cost to taxpayers,” he said. (We’ve heard that before!) “Just like the other successful development projects completed during my tenure as mayor, this one will help keep property taxes flat because of the PILOT (we are the only town in NJ to have NO tax increase in 8 years) (Debt more than doubled in 8 years.) while improving our Main Street that ultimately increases property values for our residents.” (High property values only help residents when they decide not to be residents anymore. Like me.)
“While I am stepping down, I do hope my successor Brian Magovern, and the rest of the council, continues to work well with the school administration, continues to keep taxes in check, and continues to make improvements to our community.” (How does he know Brian is going to be his successor? Or does he think Brian is going to do all that between April 10 when Matt steps down and April 14 when the Council “votes” on who will finish out his term?)
37 Comments
The chest thumper, me, me, me is totally out of control again. Now what can we do?
Everyone has his number with his “Its Free, Free, Free” call to arms on support of Belmar building “PROJECTS”.
The former mayor chest thumper mortgaged your future and his 3 other Council members allowed him to do so. There was no stress test to see if we could afford to pay back all of our current indebtedness.
Fair Housing Laws are waiting in the wings to drop the hammer on this deliberate exclusionary scheme to deprive children and single families from housing in Belmar.
Read “The Fair Housing Act”.
Remember what happened to Brighton Arms in Neptune City?
That was a beautiful place. Now the cops are there 4/5 times a day. You figure it out.
Does anyone know how much FEMA money we have received since his last it is FREE Speech ?
Maybe we can use the BUY A Board Monies for the school ? Assuming they are still accounted for.
BM stands for …………….That’s what we can expect from Brian
He said, this development will be of major benefit to the town by providing housing, providing a new town hall and police department, providing a new modern gymnasium, providing a new parking garage and generating revenue in the form of an annual PILOT (Payment in lieu of taxes)
How much is this payment? Will it be equal or more than the amount of money the town could be collecting in property taxes? My parents always taught me, nothing in this life is FREE!
What they would say is that the property currently isn’t generating very much tax revenue and that the new building would never get built without the tax incentive.
I would be curious to know how much PILOT revenue is being sacrificed for the new municipal complex. I’m sure we’re not getting it cheap.
everything about Belmar was crap before Matt Doherty came along
What part of “We are not an Urban City or a Poor Rural Community” doesn’t the Belmar Council understand?
The local taxpayers don’t want to provide or subsidize the Brandywine’s Projects.
Payment in lieu of Taxes burdens resident taxpayers now.
6: The Federal Government is we the people… we the people who pay taxes provide revenue for Payment in lieu of Taxes projects that were for Misdirection of Taxes
Municipal Disenfranchisement nothing more.
We need street captains,to organize against this project.
the CRDA is auctioning about 100 properties in A.C. tomorrow …. $10K to bid.
#10- So. The government basically just shovels or tax money around to support a job force for the politically connected, skimming money every bit of the way. Yep.
All of this is disgusting for a very small town. Do we need anymore people
To fight to park here? Do we always need to be a captive audience on weekends? The traffic is uncontrollable
Between walkers bikers and cars and trucks. Will one of you brilliant people come up with a legal plan so we can start doing something about this mess? I also think that safety building
Should be finished before another shovel is turned.
Stop giving away OUR land already!
Reality is Matt will continue to run Belmar from the sidelines…. He owns the current town council…. Vote these council members out, it is our only hope….
Vote them out.
Mcdirty’s boss ready to sign legislation that makes undocumented eligible for st student loans, grants, scholarships and tuition.
The police, fire are ceding pension $ control to their Unions. Remember what Jersey City St Senator Dave Friedland did to the Teamsters Union Funds twice? Selective Short memories.
Why not contact Rouse Properties to develop mixed residential and commercial space reflecting any changing habits and lifestyles in Belmar?
The citizens don’t want it. And please just go away knucklehead matt
See what the Mayor of Woodbridge is doing –
https://re-nj.com/mccormac-sharing-the-benefits-of-redevelopment-with-school-district-is-common-sense/
AND
http://twp.woodbridge.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/992
The women of boro hall need to unite. They were admonished by Connolly for not showing up at the boro meeting in support of her Brandywine presentation.(CONFLICT!) They were threatened with retaliation. There is clearly a hostile work environment there. They are bullied and harassed but afraid to complain. There is power in numbers. File a complaint and lets get rid of her. She is a puppet that cares for no one. Time for Colleen Connolly to go with her puppet master Doherty to AC.
What’s does the Belmar Multi-family Cluster Development Ordinance say?
Are the male borough employees disrespected by BA too?
#24 Anyone who disagrees or is not on the same page is subjected to retaliation.
#24 – Good point, If it can be proved (or not) that the female women were singled out for abuse and not the mail men, there might be a discrimination case here. I wonder if a lawyer can be found to take the case?
Why does Belmar want a 5 story low income housing project?
The slums of the future.
More voters obviously.
North Enders deserve everything don’t they?
Business owners, how much will fixed, corrugated metal safety fencing cost for your storefronts?
#31 – In Belmar, the only thing that matters is if the right crony gets the contract too erect the steel shutters, doors, etc.
Why not move town hall people into the church building?
Southie says the new Church aquisition for the fully automated, computerized, WIFI, Borough Hall operations, would be perfect. Bar A shuttle could bring employees to their jobs because there is NO PARKING at the Community Center located at the corner Church.
There is plenty of lake front parking a mere 2 blocks away from the church.Future years everything will be pay online,no reason to go to town hall unless you need to grease someone,or drop off cookies.
Zoning for the abandoned church building change of use?
Haha…grease the cookie pan…usual modus operandi.
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