Resident questions budget moves

JACKSON - A township resident recently questioned the movement of funds within the municipal budget.

Speaking at the Nov. 9 meeting of the Township Council, resident Paul Mayerowitz asked about a budget transfer resolution that was previously approved. He wanted to know why $220,000 was transferred from certain line items to a variety of other accounts.

"When you look at the components of the $220,000, the largest component of the transfers is $95,000 for legal services," Mayerowitz said. "There is no explanation provided in the back-up material as to why we needed to transfer $95,000 for legal services. Have we had an extraordinary amount of legal services in 2007?"

Mayor Mark Seda said Jackson's legal bills in 2007 have exceeded those from past years.

"We have been doing everything we can this past year to put to rest our affordable housing obligation and it is a tremendous task and undertaking," Seda said.

The mayor said if the work had not been done then Jackson would not have been able to follow its compliance plan for affordable housing.

Attorney John Russo represents Jackson in matters concerning the municipality's state-mandated obligation to provide affordable housing for people who have low and moderate incomes as defined by the state Council on Affordable Housing.

In a related matter, resident Stan Goldman praised Community Investment Strategies (CIS), of Bordentown, which plans to build a development of 112 affordable houses off of West County Line Road.

Goldman noted that representatives of CIS had presented the affordable housing plan during a recent Planning Board meeting and he called it "one of the most professional presentations that we've seen in a long time."

He said he believes the firm will be an asset to Jackson on affordable housing.

"They seem to have all their ducks in a row," Goldman said. "They seem to want to come into Jackson and show what they can do."

- Dave Benjamin