FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Joseph M. DiBella, Mayor

1-732-938-4500

January 2, 2006

Reflecting Back on 2005

As we begin the New Year, I’d like to reflect on 2005 and some of the historic things we achieved together as a community. Last year was my first as Mayor and I can sincerely say I enjoyed every minute of the job. We dealt with a broad variety of issues that had a major impact on our community. Some of the decisions we made were gut-wrenching, emotional and very difficult to resolve. Many were unexpected while several were a part of our on going agenda to make Howell a better and more affordable place to live, work and raise a family.

I have listed below some of the highlights of this past year:

·        We made some very difficult but necessary decisions with the 2005 municipal budget. We demonstrated fiscal restraint, lived within our means and instituted historic cuts in spending while maintaining essential services. This included a reduction in the size of the government work force. This was the toughest decision I have ever been involved with but the decisions we made held the line on taxes and will position the community to be in better financial shape in 2006 and beyond;

·        We continued to preserve Farmland at a historic rate. We have preserved more Farms in the last 3 years than in all former years in the township’s history combined. Preserving farms helps maintain the rural character of Howell and slows unwarranted residential growth;

·        We purchased additional open space for passive and active recreational use. Here too, these acquisitions were at historic levels. Never in the town’s history have we preserved as much open space for our resident to forever enjoy in their natural state;

·        The governing body passed one of the toughest ethics laws in the State. In doing so we banned ‘no bid’ contracts, banned gift giving to elected officials, prohibited possible jobs to politically connected people, banned campaign contributions from developers and mandated a code of conduct for all employees and elected officials. It is unfortunate that the behavior of a few public servants has eroded the public’s faith in their elected officials. I hope that the measures we have taken in Howell give our residents the comfort of knowing we have the most honest and open government in New Jersey;

·        We launched our new cable access channel, Howell TV 77. As a part of our continuing efforts to make government more accessible and convenient, this new channel brings the government of Howell to the people of Howell. Meetings are broadcast, important messages are posted and we have a vehicle to broadcast urgent or emergency messages. More programming is being launched in 2006 as we take the channel to the next level;

·        The township also installed Phase I of the over haul of our municipal web site, www.twp.howell.nj.us. At the web site you can now view all local laws, download forms and important information, view meeting agendas and minutes on line, get information about township services and much more. In 2006, we will roll out Phase II which will include the ability to pay your taxes on line, view a web broadcast of township meetings and route requests for services right to reach individual department. Through the use of technology we hope to make government more efficient, more responsive and more convenient. Phase II will create a virtual electronic town hall;

·        The township council passed a historic ordinance that bans the clear cutting of trees. This new law forever ensures that developers cannot destroy our precious greenery. It also establishes a tree fund so  that money will be available to plant new trees and grow the township’s legacy of being clean and green;

·        We made fixing township road ways a major priority. After nearly a decade of neglect, we invested nearly $3 million in a historic and massive road improvement plan, paving and repairing roads all over Howell. We also invested in a maintenance plan so that we will have a blueprint to ensure that roads are routinely repaired and never again allowed to fall into such disrepair. We will continue this ambitious plan in 2006;

·        In order to provide improved protection to our residents, we increased the availability of our emergency response services. Last year we launched a new service with part time employees in the police department to supplement the efforts of our great volunteer first aid squads. In 2005 we increased the staff so we have service six days a week. This is in addition to the 24/7 service our volunteers already provide. This expanded service ensures that our residents have access to the best and most responsive emergency medical care anywhere in the region;

·        In an effort to help reduce the tax burden on Howell families, we subcontracted our youth and family services division. We had been providing free mental health and substance abuse services to our residents. While this program has been a wonderful service for Howell, it was becoming more and more expensive to provide and still maintain other essential core services to all township residents. By subcontracting the care, a private mental health company will deliver the same services and will do so from the same building where the care is available today. Through this public – private partnership, we have been able to deliver the services outside the tax rolls, at a massive savings to local residents;

·        We chartered an external efficiency review and audit of nearly every department in our government. The purpose is to find ways to improve our processes, work more efficiently and most cost effectively and in the end ensure we can provide the best service to our residents;

·        We made significant investments in new technology to better automate many areas of the government. In particular, we will completely automate through optical scanning technology our engineering department. This will eliminate rooms full of paper and filing cabinets, free up space, eliminate endless mounds of paper and help us work more quickly and efficiently. Plus, through the use of this technology we’ll be able to realize significant savings through these new efficiencies;

·        The township council and I held historic hearings, investigating allegations of a ‘zoning for dollars’ episode that took place some years back. As a result of these hearings, we overturned an approval to build 500 senior houses that was mired in ethical lapses and campaign improprieties. In the end, we stood up to corruption and made it clear that such behavior would not be tolerated in our community;

·        We launched the ‘Slow Down in Howell’ program, designed to address speeding and reckless driving all over our community. Through increased signage, new speed humps, neighborhood volunteers, increased fines and an overall awareness program, we hope to tackle and turn the tide on excessive speeding and dangerous driving;

·        As an on going part of our Home Land Security efforts, we invested in a new Emergency Management Building where we’ll have a better capacity to plan and respond to urgent or emergency situations;

·        We unveiled our 9-11 Memorial as a fitting tribute to the 4 Howell residents who were murdered on that tragic day. This new memorial stands as a symbol that we will never forget and that our spirit and tenacity as a people will in the end, help us prevail over terrorism and tyranny.

There are many, many more things we achieved this past year. There is still much to be done. We were able to achieve these things because of the work of our world-class volunteers, our valued employees and the world’s greatest community. Not every issue was easy to deal with and some were met with resistance and criticism. However, this is a part of the process and it is welcome and helps make the debate more substantive and the end, better results for our township.

In the coming days I’ll share with you our plans for 2006 and beyond.

For now, please know that there is no greater honor than serving as your Mayor. Next to my role as a father, there has been no greater experience for me in all my life. It is an honor to have the privilege to serve and if I can be of help to you on any issue, please call or email me at MayorDiBella@twp.howell.nj.us

Happy New Year!

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