Peters, Lucas & Little Launch Vision for Monmouth County's Future

Focuses on Streamlining Spending, Creating Efficiencies & Advocating for Taxpayers
For Immediate Release
September 13, 2006
Contact: Mark Duffy 732-431-6664

Freehold Borough, NJ – Monmouth County Republican candidates for Surrogate and Freeholder today announced their campaign platform: streamline county spending, create government efficiencies that will provide county tax relief, and provide forceful advocacy for Monmouth County taxpayers now being shortchanged state school and municipal aid by the Democrat majority in Trenton.
“Taxpayers in Monmouth County need county officials who will fight for their interests,” said GOP Surrogate candidate Rosemarie Peters. “One of the main reasons property taxes keep rising locally is that the Trenton Democrats keep denying most of our suburban towns our fair share of state aid.”
Since 2001, when they took majority control in Trenton, the Democrats have increased spending by $9 BILLION. Much of that money has flowed to Newark, Camden and Paterson to the detriment of Monmouth County. But Trenton Democrats have cut state aid to many Monmouth County school districts and municipal governments. Those losses, in many cases, have been compensated for with increases in school and local property taxes.
“Most Monmouth County taxpayers pay a dollar to Trenton in state taxes only to get back nickels and dimes in state aid. Newark and Camden pay nickels and dimes to Trenton and get back dollars in state aid. We here in many Monmouth County towns shoulder an unfair burden paid for in both higher state taxes and higher property taxes,” said candidate for Freeholder Andrew Lucas. “We will lobby aggressively on behalf of Monmouth’s taxpayers to change these inequities.”
Peters, Lucas and Little will work to eliminate the duplication of services in an effort to reduce spending and provide property tax relief for Monmouth County families. Republicans support the Freeholder Board’s efforts in creating a Monmouth County Intergovernmental Partnership Program that will improve the way our towns do business with the county in order to save tax dollars.
“By building partnerships between local and county government we can streamline spending and eliminate duplication,” said candidate for Freeholder Andrew Lucas. “While serving on township committee in Manalapan, we were able to use the Monmouth County Improvement Authority’s pooled leasing program, saving taxpayers thousands of dollars in bonding fees. Increased use of the Monmouth County Improvement Authority by municipalities will help replicate this type of savings on a county-wide basis.”
Monmouth County has been the model when it comes to keeping retirement and benefit costs affordable. Trenton Democrats, however, continue to increase the size and the cost of state government. Peters, Lucas and Little call on Trenton Democrat leaders to use Monmouth County as an example in their effort to reduce the cost of retirement and health benefits to taxpayers.
“We need to be the model for the state and set the standard in fiscal responsibility. We have a good system here and they should follow our lead,” said Little. “Through natural attrition and right sizing county government, we can reduce the cost of government which will result in future property tax relief,” Little concluded.