How much longer can Matawan afford to be penny wise and pound foolish?

We advise, you decide

How much longer can Matawan afford to be penny wise and pound foolish?
In other words, how much longer can the foolish policies of Mayor Buccellato continue to cost Matawan real money while saving pennies?

In an effort to reduce utility costs, Mayor Buccellato decided to let the borough employees work a four-day week. The real savings have still not been presented to the council even after repeated requests although the Mayor has stated that it’s in the thousands of dollars. One, two, maybe three thousand dollars. Borough Hall is still open on Fridays and it still has heat and air conditioning and electricity and it’s still staffed with custodians, it’s just not open to transact business.

This (not so) ingenious policy was implemented in the middle of the largest development project in Matawan in decades, The Preserve by American Properties. This 157 unit condominium project will yield Matawan Borough up to $1,000,000 in real estate taxes upon completion. And yet, Matawan closes borough hall down an extra day a week during construction.

This has caused delays in permits, inspections and access to borough ordinances. Assistance from the Borough Administrator, Patriot Consulting, is limited to 15 hours per week. The Mayor determined that would be sufficient time for the Borough Administrator to solve Matawan’s financial crisis and resolve any issues with the developer. American Properties has been very patient but you have to wonder where is the wisdom in cutting services to save pennies when the increase in real estate tax revenue is so substantial.

How much longer can Matawan provide perks to borough employees at the expense of commercial development? The borough is in a financial crisis and in desperate need of additional tax ratables and the Mayor takes steps to delay construction and postpone tax collection.

Matawan needs elected officials that have vision and can see the big picture.