Rowland Racks Up Debt – McHugh Mounts Burdens on Township Taxpayers

The Chatham Township annual debt statement is now public. Jen Rowland and Marty McHugh raised net debt over 19% in just two years. Just in their first term on the Chatham Township Committee, they have already added $3.647 million in debt (a jump of 19.07%). 

Jen Rowland is now Mayor and was Finance Liaison. McHugh is the Finance Liaison. They had every chance to control spending. Instead, they increased debt by 19% and authorized millions more that is not yet counted. Authorized debt is like approving a higher limit on a credit card. It just means there is a clear path to take on more debt before their term ends this year even though it technically isn't issued.

Why So Much Debt? How Was It Spent?
This debt did not pay for schools, the library, the sewer plant or our open spaces.

This debt comes from very small down payments on purchases. Rowland and McHugh have approved just 5% down payments on routine items. In the past, regular annual items like police vehicles and road paving were mostly paid for up front, with substantial down payments. Now they pay the smallest amount possible and push the rest off into long-term debt that lasts past the item’s useful life. This lets them spend even more, with total spending rising double digits in the 2 years they have been budgeting for our Township.

The 19% debt spike also includes costs like $71,425 of debt to study the construction of a new Municipal Office Complex (Ordinance 2024-14) and other wasteful projects. 

Rowland and McHugh may say the debt is for public safety equipment or affordable housing obligations. Those authorized items are nearly all future debt that is not yet issued. It isn’t even calculated as part of this 19% spike. If they were included, the increase would be much higher.

Debt costs are now increased. More borrowing is approved. Township taxpayers will pay for years to come. When they ran for office, both Rowland and McHugh trumpeted their business backgrounds. It seems like they didn’t put that experience to work for our Township. Let’s hope the debt racked up by Rowland and McHugh can be reduced in their final year.

Sincerely,

Dan Bevere
On Behalf of The Chatham Republican Committees

This adds to a bad start in Chatham Township for Jen Rowland

Rowland’s Bad Start – Rushed Recipe For Changes To Township’sLargest Rec Facility

Verify the facts presented: 
Review the Financial Debt Statements for 2023, 2024, 2025
Verify Tax Rate and Levy Increases In The Adopted Budgets 2024, 2025
chathamtownship.org/departments/finance/documents-files/