Hillsborough Needs Change, Accountability and a New Approach

Hillsborough residents packing Township Committee meetings to demand tax relief are receiving dismissive shrugs instead of answers. At the August 25 meeting, the response to mounting affordability concerns was a flippant remark from the mayor suggesting that neighboring towns are no better. Deflecting responsibility is not a governing strategy.

The meeting also demonstrated why local finances remain under strain. The committee majority approved nearly $500,000 for a software system without public input, awarding the contract to a vendor the township previously fired for poor service. Basic oversight was bypassed, continuing a pattern of rushing major financial decisions without meaningful review.

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Transparency reached a low point when the township released a 150-page annual audit just three hours before the session. Despite the independent auditor issuing an adverse opinion stating the financial statements do not fairly present the township's condition under standard accounting practices, leadership attempted to accept the report without debate. The document was tabled only because Committeewoman Samantha Hand intervened.

Hillsborough taxpayers deserve basic fiscal competence, real transparency, and leaders who treat public funds with the diligence they require. Band-aid excuses and rising tax bills cannot remain the status quo. Our community needs genuine accountability. Hillsborough votes will have a chance to weigh in on the township's direction this November.