How Caring is Hopatcong to the Current Economic Hardships of its Constituents?

Recently I was given a copy of Hopatcong Borough’s September 28, 2012 Bill List.  It was given to me by an outraged Hopatcong taxpayer.  The person knew that I have a blog post on Patch and thought this particular bill list was a blog worthy story. The bill list listed $2,641 of approved charges to Bally’s Park Place Hotel in Atlantic City. They were for conferences attended by our elected officials and two appointed officers.  Ironically, the conference labeled “Mayor and Council Conference and Meetings” was not attended by all our council members. Councilwoman Estelle Klein and Councilman John Young were missing from this list.  I can deduct by their absence that this Atlantic City meeting was not a mandatory function for them to attend as council members. Therefore, it can be concluded this was an optional all expense paid function. Another miscellaneous expense that caught my eye on the same page was the expenditure of $422.00 for 6 flags.   

Although, attendance of these conferences may have had some merit, the fact that they were held in a casino resort location of Bally’s Place Hotel in Atlantic City throws a red flag on how incidental our precious tax dollars are being spent by our Mayor and Council. 

In recent community news it was reported that 18 families in Hopatcong are wondering how they are going to pay for DEP State mandated upgrades to their private inadequate water main that supplies their tap water.  While some citizens in Hopatcong are faced with this dilemma, our town is spending tax review dollars for trips to Atlantic City and spending money on flags.  They may be approved budget items, but it shows the lack of sensitivity and priorities of direct and indirect tax revenue spending.  It is money that is not being distributed to the critical needs of our town. 

For the Hopatcong homeowners (under this private water association) attempts have been made to get $8,500 from each of these households to make the upgrades that gives them a DEP pass to keep their tap water turn on.  Without these upgrades they are in jeopardy of being deemed inoperable by the DEP. Only 13 of the 18 households were able to pay into these proposed upgrades.  The raised amount was only enough to cover piping costs but not enough to pay for labor costs. There has been a plea to have them connected to Hopatcong Borough’s water line and the Council is debating the issue. Should the borough expense of hooking up Hopatcong residents to safe and reliable drinking water be an optional consideration or an obligation that is owed to all residents of Hopatcong?  Should access to drinking water be measured with the same criteria as attending a conference in Bally’s in Atlantic City?        

It appears that Hopatcong’s government does not feel compelled to share moral and civic responsibility on the discretion of how they should spend tax revenues.  Mayoral authority bestows the liberty to treat a budget in the same manner as a preapproved credit card for retail and recreation shopping purchases. It has been done with disregard to our surrounding and impacting business conditions that have affected us all.  The Mayor, administrators and some of our council members continue to spend in the same style we had 10 years ago. They continue to focus priority on memorial/recognition tributes and open space recreation land use while important issues of drinkable water for all Borough residents is not on the “must fund” plan.  I think it is not a primary issue for Hopatcong, because they furtively managed to pass ownership of these issues over to the private homeowners and it becomes their problem.  There appears to be a disassociation of moral and social responsibility when our incumbent Borough Officials think they can elect to provide assistance for such important issues as obtaining viable tap water for all homes in Hopatcong.  This to me constitutes a “Let Them Eat Cake” attitude.  If sewers and access to tap water have become a Municipal non obligatory funding discretion, then what essential services and management is our Borough providing from the tax revenue it is collecting.  What are the mandatory services our Borough must provide for its people first before they can attend conferences at Bally’s in Atlantic City?

With $2,641 dollars in Atlantic City conference spending, they could have bought saltwater taffy for everyone.  

Do you feel you are in good hands with your current elected officials?  If you don’t, there is a chance of changing some of this attitude with your votes in November.