August 23, 2006
Dear Neighbor,
Hold on to your wallets
Not only is it fundamentally wrong to seize private property, it is
unfair to ask the taxpayers of Readington to pay millions more in
higher taxes.
As an organizer of the Taxpayers’ Alliance of Readington,
“T.A.R.”, I’m committed to representing the best interests of our
taxpayers. I believed that being honest and direct isn’t just
good policy—it is an obligation that our committee has to our
taxpayers. As taxpayers we must demand more truthfulness and
fiscal responsibility.
On May 16, Readington voters were mislead by ballot language into
believing that the Township would not spend more than $22,000,000.
Now the Township’s appraisals (which cost taxpayers $30,000 to
obtain) do not present a realistic resolution because they indicate
that the actual cost to acquire the property will exceed what voters
authorized the Township to spend. And the Solberg’s will
undoubtedly present appraisals exceeding the limit of the Township’s
authority. As reported in The Star-Ledger, (8/9/06), an
appraisal previously commissioned by the Solbergs placed the
property’s price at $42 million.
When local officials start talking about the use of eminent domain,
the next “taking” to occur is likely to be cash out of your wallet.
Once a government entity -- whether it is a city, county, or state
-- gets away with taking advantage of taxpayers, it is likely to
continue to do so unless a massive effort is undertaken to stop the
pattern of abuse.
If you are interested in joining TAR or are interested in helping us educate area residents about the issue, please e-mail us at StopWastingMyMoney@readingtontax.org or fill out our online form here for information about joining a group that is dedicated to working for effective and efficient fiscal responsibility.
Regards,
Kevin J. Devine
Founding Member, Taxpayers’