Officials in Plainsboro have expressed their opposition to Governor Corzine’s proposal to eliminate the state Department of Agriculture, and also to his proposed 2008 budget.##M:[more]##
The Township Committee passed two separate resolutions expressing such opposition during its meeting on April 9. During the meeting, Mayor Peter Cantu said that the committee was specifically opposing the reduction in state aid to municipalities, especially those with populations under 10,”000. He said that while Plainsboro was impacted — it saw its annual state aid reduced by $218,”679 and it didn’t receive the $150,”000 extraordinary aid revenue that it had last year, for a total shortfall of $368,”679, equivalent to one cent on the tax rate — some of the smaller communities were especially hit hard.
The resolution reiterates that in the governor’s proposed budget, last year’s $32 million in Municipal Homeland Security Funding is gone, Special Municipal Aid funding is cut from $153 million to $145.4 million, extraordinary aid funding is reduced by $1.7 million, and the $8 million Regional Efficiency Aid Program will not be funded. The governor’s proposed budget also slashes municipal property tax relief by $189.6 million and eliminates all funding for municipalities with populations less than 5,”000, and by 50 percent for those between 5,”000 and 10,”000.
As a result of “these draconian measures,” the resolution states, “our property taxpayers will once again be asked for patience, and they will be asked to shoulder more than their fair share of the funding burden.”
With regard to the proposal to eliminate the Department of Agriculture, Cantu said that the department serves a vital function to the agriculture community throughout the state, especially when it comes to farmland preservation. About 50 percent of the land in Plainsboro is preserved.
Corzine announced his plan last month to abolish the department and spread its duties and responsibilities to the state Department of Environmental Protection. Alaska and Rhode Island are the only other states without agriculture departments. Corzine says the move would save about $4 million a year.
Cantu said that in his experience serving on Middlesex County’s Agricultural Development Board for many years he found that the department was “one of the most efficiently run agencies in the state of New Jersey.”
He said he also didn’t see the need to eliminate the department when it will have “very minimal or no savings attached to it.” The resolution itself states that the elimination of the department would result “in a reduction of services to the farms, farmers, and citizens of New Jersey.” The department, the resolution states, “supports the farming profession with essential services for plant inspection and trade, animal health and transport, inspection, and promotion of ‘Jersey Fresh’ produce and organic certification.”
“Preserving farmland is important, buy you can’t do that without preserving farmers,” Cantu said.
Committeeman Ed Yates also said that while the committee is opposed to the proposal, he wanted to emphasize it didn’t mean officials were opposed to all types of governmental downsizing.
In other news during the meeting, Plainsboro resident Emily Ford, a fourth grader at Millstone River School, received the Shining Star Award from the committee. When Emily had a birthday party recently, instead of accepting gifts, she asked her friends and family to make contributions to the township’s food pantry. “Sometimes they run low, and they really benefited from your donations,” Cantu told Emily as he presented her with the award.
Emily was able to collect $300 in food and donations for the pantry.
