Deputy Mayor Tells His Side of MUA Story

The following from Deputy Mayor Kevin Lare regards a story posted Thur., April 7:
On March 22, 2011, four of the five members of the Lower Township governing body voted to request that the Lower Township Municipal Utilities Authority, an authority created by the taxpayers of Lower Township, provide approximately $160,000 to the Township to help reduce an expected tax increase.
This represented one-half of the amount the MUA could give to the township by law.
Thereafter, the MUA met and accused the Township of not having its house in order and refused to provide the funds for tax relief.
The Council was informed, by the MUA auditor (Town Council meeting held April 4, 2011), that the MUA had a $4-million surplus.
The MUA now says that its surplus in just under $1 million. MUA Chairman Nels Johnson and member Joseph Mentos, appointed by Mayor and Council to the MUA board, are now accusing me of political motivation in requesting the money for the taxpayers.
Mr. Johnson is conveniently ignoring the fact that Councilmen Simonsen, Douglas and Conrad also voted to request the tax relief funds from the MUA.
The overwhelming majority of the representatives elected by the people of Lower Township voted to request these tax relief funds from the MUA.
Let me set some misguided individuals straight.
There was no political motivation in asking a local authority, created by the taxpayers, to provide tax relief funds from a multi-million dollar surplus account.
My motivation was simple: tax relief. No one at the MUA or elsewhere, including Mr. Johnson, has yet explained to the taxpayers of Lower Township why it is better for this authority to keep millions of dollars in the bank instead of providing a mere $160,000 to the taxpayers of Lower Township to help lighten the load in these difficult times.
No one ever said a negative word about the operations or administration of the Lower Township MUA. In fact, I have praised them for their work throughout this discussion. But it is the taxpayers who should feel sick.
They have to wonder why their own MUA, which they created and whose bonds they guarantee, would refuse to provide the absolute minimum amount of tax relief from surplus funds. There may be political motivation at the MUA, but it certainly was not in the request made by the Township Council to help the struggling taxpayers of the Township of Lower.
Kevin Lare
Deputy Mayor
Township of Lower