Councilmen Suggest Cuts to Township Newsletter

Members of the Washington Township council suggested cuts in the 2011 municipal budget for the newsletter during a budget meeting Monday night. They said "The Citizen" could be produced online for residents and a small number of copies could be printed for those without internet access.

But Mayor Janet Sobkowicz, who puts the newsletter together with Director of Public Affairs and Information Dina Burke, said not sending out paper copies would upset residents who have provided positive feedback for the latest edition. She said since there are only two newsletters per year, in February and September, the amount of money spent is much less than previous years when six or seven newsletters went out.

She said the reduction has to do with increased use of the website and electronic sign on Pascack Road. "The Citizen" provides residents with more information like what's going on with emergency services and highlights accomplishments instead of informing them about upcoming events, Sobkowicz said.

Members of the council said the endeavor is expensive and questioned the need for the hard copies considering an online version could be produced for much less expense. Council President Fred Goetz said the document could be available on the website and residents could sign up to have it sent to them automatically, which would save the township significant money.

He also called the last edition a "23-page monstrosity" that was "a complete waste" because it was outdated. The newsletter, which came out in February, discussed events that happened in 2010 and included a message from Councilman Joseph D'Urso, who was council president in 2010.

"I don't see why we're spending $16,000 in postage for something everybody just chucks out," Goetz said.

Sobkowicz said citizens don't just throw the newsletter away. She said many residents called and e-mailed township officials to tell them they liked the February edition of "The Citizen."

"Talk to any of the residents," Sobkowicz said. "They love the paper."

Council Vice President Steve Cascio said it was really cost prohibitive to continue mailing out "The Citizen" to every household and said he wanted to reduce the amount of money spent.

Councilman Glenn Beckmeyer suggested leaving money in the budget for mailing out the newsletter to residents who don't have internet access and making sure copies were available in the library, schools and the municipal complex.

Sobkowicz said she really wanted the council to leave $9,000 in the budget for the newsletter. "If you're going to cut it down, we're not going to do it because it's not worth the effort," she said.

At the end of the discussion, the councilmen suggested bringing the line item for "The Citizen" down to $1,000 plus whatever was spent on the February edition.

The next budget meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 5:45 p.m. in the third floor conference room of the , 350 Hudson Ave.