Election 2017: Brick Budget Surplus Ripped, Defended By Mayoral Candidates

BRICK, NJ — When 2017 comes to a close, Brick Township officials expect to have about $10 million in surplus funds. That's the figure that was given by Business Administrator Joanne Bergin during the township's budget hearing in late April.

It's a number some residents have criticized, saying they would prefer to see more used to offset taxes. And it's now become a piece of the campaign for mayor in the November election.

Democrat John G. Ducey, the incumbent mayor, has spoken proudly of the township's reserve, saying it has been cited by national rating agencies Moody's and Standard & Poor's as part of the reason the township has strong bond rating. Moody's Investors Service has given Brick an overall credit rating of Aa2, the company's second-highest rating tier, and a short-term bond rating of MIG1, its top short-term bond rating, on bond anticipation notes sold in December.

Domenick Brando, the Republican challenger and a former councilman, criticized the amount of surplus in an article on Brick Shorebeat, saying the township's surplus is excessive.

“I think that money should go back to the taxpayers instead of just sitting in a bank account,” Brando told Shorebeat.

Rob Canfield, who is running against Ducey and Brando as in independent, criticized Brando's suggestion that the surplus is excessive.

“Brando’s plan of depleting the surplus is bad for all taxpayers for years to come," Canfield said. "The rating agencies will downgrade our debt and that’s when Brando’s plan will backfire to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars through increased interest costs over the next 30 years.”

"Our current mayor has a huge surplus," Brando said in an email to the Patch, responding to a request for for clarification of the amount of surplus he'd like see used to reduce the township's tax levy. "I would use a large portion of it to give immediate relief to Brick's taxpayers."

"In the coming weeks and months I will be putting out my different plans for our township and the direction that I believe Brick should be headed in," Brando said. As for Canfield's statement, he said: "One of the candidates has issued quite a few statements. I'm not sure how much experience he has in our form of municipal government by the statements I've read."

Brick Township's municipal property tax rate decreased a half-cent this year for the first time in at least 30 years, Ducey has said. He has repeatedly blasted the administration that immediately preceded him over property tax increases that he says amounted to 24 percent.

Canfield, a pastor at Glad Tidings Assembly in Tinton Falls, has said he wants to institute a property tax freeze while "providing additional resources for 30 percent more police on the streets."

“I have pledged to my supporters that my campaign will be one of positivity and creative solutions that will move Brick in the right direction. While I respect Brando’s candidacy, I cannot stand by and let the focus of his campaign hurt the financial status of Brick for years to come.” Canfield said in a news release.

Local government surplus reserves are not unusual. Ocean County Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr. often has cited the county government's surplus as being a key reason for the county's AAA credit rating. County officials also have cited the surplus as having been a critical resource for both the county and its towns during the cleanlup of Superstorm Sandy.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from Domenick Brando.

Photos: John Ducey; Domenick Brando; Rob Canfield