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ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS HERALD |
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I have just come from the Highlands Borough Council meeting that I found extremely upsetting and unjust. The budget for the Business Partnership was up for adoption by the Council one member had to abstain from the discussion because his wife is employed by the BID and two members of the Council refused to vote for the budget. Therefore it did not pass and at this juncture it appears that all of the events scheduled by the BID will have to be canceled for this year. It was suggested that the town therefore take over these events and they declined to do that as well. It seems very unfair since the business owners pay extra taxes for this organization and to run these events but now the Borough will not turn the money over to them. Why not? It is their money. The Borough only acts as a receptacle by collecting the extra taxes. We don't get to vote on the Council’s budget. We sometimes do have an opportunity to question it but most of the time our input isn't even given the “time of day”, the budget is passed and we pay the taxes. I am not a business owner and have no opinion in the running of the BID. I have served on many of their committees through the years and mostly saw nothing but hard work being done by volunteers only to be rebuked by some Council members and Administrators. Councilman Urbanski is a minority member of the BID, has always been opposed to the BID, who admitted he doesn't attend the meetings where he could have an opportunity to object to what they are doing. Apparently the majority of the BID members voted to increase their contributions in order to increase their budget to purchase additional trash receptacles and picnic tables etc. for the Borough. I don't feel that he fairly represented the people of the Borough of Highlands by voting against the BID budget. Councilman Ciazza also voted against it but I can't figure out why. It seems that he just doesn't like some of the people involved in the BID. Again this was not a vote in support of all of the residents of Highlands. The president of the BID asked if the town would be willing to purchase the trash receptacles and picnic tables and restore the budget to last year’s amount but they refused and the meeting ended rather abruptly with Mr. Ciazza pounding loudly on the table and shouting he was not going to listen to this anymore close the meeting, close the meeting and he stood up. Who will suffer? I think it will be the people and taxpayers of Highlands. We will have no more Oktoberfest, no Clam Festival, no parades, no car shows and maybe no more businesses in town. We can become a ghost town rather than a great place to play, a great place to work and a great place to live. Carol Bucco |
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