by Joseph Pascal
Would you be willing to make a personal $1,”243 “donation” to Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh and West Windsor municipality? I assume your answer, is similar to mine and the residents I have polled, a resounding no!##M:[more]##
Unfortunately, Mayor Hsueh recently sent a signed letter to every resident, where he deliberated omitted one fact, that he is raising my property taxes by 8.5 percent!
Rather than state the obvious Mayor Hsueh wrote in his letter that he is doing such a great job that West Windsor has a debt rating of Triple A and he has saved the Township $802,”000. Unfortunately, Mayor Hsueh intentionally failed to inform residents that townships in New Jersey and New York that are similar in size and revenue have zero debt. He also did not answer the questions of what percentage he reduced the annual budget by, what expenses have been cut, and what increased services each home will receive for the additional $623.81 (average home; many other residents will pay north of an additional $1,”243).
Mayor Hsueh’s omission is because of his poor fiscal management where he continues to substantially increase the budget and property tax in time of economic recession. If any business or Princeton University ran their budgets in the way Mayor Hsueh manages West Windsor Township, corporations and Princeton University would be out of business. Why should Mayor Hsueh be exempt and increase my property tax by on average 8.5 percent while everyone else is cutting back?
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg this week said that any government entity that cannot reduce its budget by 5 percent during the present recession, has poor management. Mayor Hseuh receives the booby prize as one of the worst performers. Considering that we are in a recession, with many economists ranking the present times only second to the 1929 Depression, with banks shedding over 160,”000 jobs during the past 12 months, and gas and many food staples increasing by over 50 percent since January, 2008, it is that much more disappointing to see Mayor Hsueh’s poor management try to impose 8.5 percent property tax increase on my property during one of the worst economic times.
Governor Corizine stated “We have to move away from this (property) tax, not increase our reliance on it. But no homeowner, no property owner, should have an increase in their annual property tax bill greater than 4 percent.” It appears Mayor Hsueh did not read the memo from Corizine or Mayor Hseuh does not understand that a 8.5 percent increase is over twice as high as Corzine’s limit.
Enough is enough. The California public recalled Governor Davis during middle of his term, paving the way for the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and now it is time to start holding politicians like Mayor Hsueh accountable. According to the mayor’s letter, he appears resigned to the realities on the ground. Residents of West Windsor no longer have to tolerate this type of poor fiscal management. When I contacted the Mayor’s office I received a written response that a home worth approximately $557,”000 will only have to pay an additional $623.81 property increase for this upcoming year.
The problem is no one should have to pay an additional $623.81 for Mayor Hsueh’s poor management, and Mayor Hsueh’s office, which sent the letter, was disingenuous and knows I live in a house that was accessed at $743,”000, that is on an approximate 5,”000 square lot (a very tiny piece of land), and because of Mayor Hsueh my property tax increases is not by $623.81 but to be exact by $1,”243.02. There are many homes in the community I live in and throughout West Windsor that are worth a lot more than my home and they will be paying an additional $2,”000 plus in property tax. Should West Windsor residents be paying a massive increase when houses throughout the township have depreciated in value over the past year?
I have better things to do with $1,”243.02 of my hard earned money such as spending it on my 14- month-old daughter rather than give it to Mayor Hsueh. If you would like to express your opinion on the substantial increase in your property tax, while houses throughout the community have depreciated and we are in one of the worse economic recessions in history, please E-mail Mayor Hsueh at Mayor’sOffice@WestWindsorTwp.com or call him at 609-799-2400.
Perhaps this will be the beginning of the campaign to expose Mayor Hseuh’s poor management and it is time for the media to focus on Mayor Hsueh and the injustice in West Windsor.
Pascal is a resident of West Windsor and sits on the board of the Estates of Princeton Junction, the 530 home community by the Princeton Junction train-station.
Joseph Pascal
