New Mayor Announces Plan: Shop in Middletown, Earn Property Tax Relief (Video)
Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger said the township is working to debut a new loyalty card that will give people an incentive to shop local -- by giving them a break on their property taxes.
Videos
In his first address at the township's new mayor on Sunday, Gerard Scharfenberger said the township is planning to roll out a "Buy Middletown" Property Tax Benefit Card in 2013.
The purpose of the card is to reward residents for shopping local, by reducing their property taxes by a percentage of the amount they spend at participating Middletown busineses.
"This is a win/win all around," said Scharfenberger. "Businesses benefit from increased sales and foot traffic, taxpayers benefit in that they have a simple, effective way to lower their property taxes, and the town benefits by stimulating the local economy."
"We also feel that this program will make Middletown more attractive to businesses considering opening somewhere in the area, " he said. The program is currently being reviewed by township attorneys.
More than 150 people crowded the Town Hall meeting room Sunday to witness the oath, to accept an appointment to a committee, or to congratulate family members who stepped up to serve their town.
They heard Scharfenberger recap other initiatives that are expected to bring revenue, economic boost and jobs to Middletown in 2013, such as:
- The opening at the end of January of the new Junior Titans ice rink will open, offering residents and high school ice hockey teams a convenient and top quality skating facility.
- The springtime groundbreaking of the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center project at a longstanding vacant, former AT&T facility and its promise to bring 300 new high-paying jobs, capital investment and boost to the economy.
- The fall classes at the new and ambitious Trinity Hall all-girls high school, which is leasing space at Croydon Hall.
- The continued presence of FEMA at the former Avaya property in Lincroft, which is addressing the needs of Superstorm Sandy victims.
He added that the newly formed Economic Development Committee and the Historic Preservation Commission will also be fully operational this year and add to the township's economic growth.
Single stream recycling's recent debut in Middletown has been a success, the mayor said. The combinination of revenue increase and savings to town is $20,000 per month, Scharfenberger said. "We feel the staggering sum could easily be doubled, if compliance increased across the township," he said.
Joe
7:01 am on Monday, January 7, 2013
What an agenda! Nice to see something other than the usual pablum you get from elected officials.
RIFFAXE
7:01 am on Monday, January 7, 2013
The Buy Middletown Card sounds like a good idea.Doe's that include local Service Providers as well? And will the Township start hiring Local Service companies? Currently the Township uses services from Companies that are not even based in NJ when there are several local options. When you try to get information about bidding, you sort of get the cold shoulder. I would suggest a simple and transparent system of having a page on the website for these activities.
MiddletownResident
7:23 am on Monday, January 7, 2013
what about issuing permits so N Middletown Port Monmouth Belford and Leonardo residents can start rebuilding??? why is this an issue NOT being talked about?? this stupid township has MANY lives on hold.....Pissing me off
Paul
9:48 pm on Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Why would you want to rebuild if the feds may only make you rip it all out and start all over? Who would you blame then?
Jeff
7:23 am on Monday, January 7, 2013
Brilliant.
Paul Schlaflin
9:13 am on Monday, January 7, 2013
Brilliant indeed, the brainchild of Marlboro's mayor and economic development team, implemented last year, conceived 2 years ago. How do you trust a man that claims an idea as his that isn't?! Did he give any credit at all to Mayor Hornik?
Marlboro male
7:55 pm on Monday, January 7, 2013
Paul, some friendly advice. Stick to your long winded comments on the Marlboro zoning board and quit acting like Hornik's press agent. First, I read the article three times and nowhere did he said it was "his idea." Second, I think he is doing what any good mayor should do - propose programs that will help his town. Third, this program is run by a private firm (not Hornik) who have been pitching it to towns all over the state. I know because one of the principals lives near me in Marlboro. Your post makes you sound petty, childish and most of all, wrong.
Paul Schlaflin
8:24 pm on Monday, January 7, 2013
Mr anonymous male most people give credit where it is due...while it might be run by a third party it was a plan hatched in Marlboro...if your oinion was worth expressing you'd put your name to it instead of being the Dean of anonymity.
Marlboro male
9:39 pm on Monday, January 7, 2013
If it's all the same to you Paul, I'd rather give my "oinion" anonymously. According to my friend, this program is run by a private company with no connection to Hornik, and they do not promote the program using Hornik's name; only that Marlboro is using the program.. Tell you what, why not go around with them and as they pitch the program, you can tell the story so everyone knows that "they didn't build it - someone else made that happen." Sheesh, what a silly kick you are on.
Politicalpony
5:53 pm on Monday, February 11, 2013
I have to laugh. Have you ever heard of the Mayor Council for NJ? They sit together and work these sort of things out among one another. If a Mayor of a town thinks an idea might work for them they act upon it. If I'm not mistaken, Scharfenberger was the head of this group some time back. As of late he over see's a larger Socialist take over of the state in The State Stratgic Plan. Has anyone evr done any homework in the area of Sustainability? Yes, such as in Sustainable NJ, ICLIE and so on?. Anyone ever connect the dots to these two organizations aforementioned to the United Nations and their program called Agenda 21? Marlboro is waist deep in this nonsense take over of swallowing all the private property in their town. Go Green! Or better yet GO Communism. Don't think so? Well before you come in to bash and trash on me as a nut case, go do some real boring reading. This stuff will make your head spin! Don't get me wrong, I like Scharfenberger. Or should I say his personality. But I'm afraid he knows exactly what he's doing on the subject I just mentioned above. If he doesn't, even after being told and showed the validity of it, then we all have a problem. I like the guy, but his intentions are very questionable. In fact darn right suspicious.
tom nemec
5:14 pm on Monday, January 7, 2013
We need to make sure that if the town raises property tax that the money is being spent wisely.
John S.
9:39 pm on Monday, January 7, 2013
So who pays for this benefit? Take it to the extreme:
If everyone in Middletown gets a card and uses it, then everyone's property taxes go down. Right?
So then what does the town do with a resulting reduced tax income. Raise the property tax rate? Result: no change,
Just another beuracratic structure to administer brought to you by the same people who claim to be against big government and the government interfering with free trade.
This is a can or worms.
Sal
7:03 am on Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Part !)
It sure looks like another Republican sponsored "Bonus for the Already Wealthy Program". If I am wealthy and can buy a new vehicle at the auto dealer each year and if I could afford to eat out in expensive restaurants every night and buy tons of new clothing and new appliances and new home furnishings I could get a huge Bonus real estate tax rebate off my taxes at the expense of the poor who do not have much money to spend and who cannot buy a new vehicle or eat out frequently.. The entire cost of such a program should be on the shoulders of all the business that will benefit___not on the backs of the taxpayers. I do not live in Middletown and this program is a Great reason as to why I should NOT do any shopping or spending in Middletown___and instead I should also spend all my money in my own hometown.
Sal
7:03 am on Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Part 2) Such a program is an invitation for fraud and corruption. There is no way of keeping track if real purchases were made or if friends that own a business in town just swipe the tax credit cards for their friends, without them ever making any purchase. Under this program if I owned a business I could have a "Buy Middletown card" and swipe it every time I feel like it for a friend so the friend gets a property tax rebale. There is NO WAY to prevent corruption or misuse.
Marlboro male
6:37 pm on Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Oh brother. Sal, you are a great example of why people shouldn't offer opinions when they know nothing about a topic. According to the company who runs the program, the town does not lose any revenue. The program works like any other sales incentive. Instead of taking a coupon to a store where the percentage is taken off at the point of sale, a running total is kept and the percentage is transferred to the town by the vendor. So if a store wants to swipe a friends card multiple times, great because they are liable for the money, not the town. And rather than trash the rich, why not aspire to be more like them?
You say you don't live in Middletown. Please tell me you don't live in Marlboro.
Gordon York
3:59 pm on Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Setting up straw purchases by the man who does budgets "by osmosis". Great idea! If the free market is so great why should township businesses get a benefit??
Paul
9:48 pm on Tuesday, January 8, 2013
The free market is great; something that liberals don't get. I think this program is great and just goes to show how valuable the free market is to us all.
KB
5:09 pm on Tuesday, January 8, 2013
We've gone from one of the top places to live, to having to incentivize people to shop here. I agree with Sal this is an invitation to all sorts of fraud, misuse and conflict of interest. I can swear I saw the evil clown outside Spirit Liquors winking at me on the way home.
Marlboro male
6:37 pm on Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Good idea to agree with someone who has no clue and is completely wrong.
KB
9:48 pm on Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Thanks for the input Marlboro man. However, the intermingling of political and business interests has a long, messy tradition in Middletown. Anyone who remembers Joe Azzolina's town center idea (he owned Food Circus, Spirit Liquors) should realize that. Steeering people to certain businesses often serves to inappropriately enrich the town's decision-makers or the cronies of those decision makers. Of course if I was one of those being enriched, I might change my position.
Marlboro male
11:04 pm on Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Again KB, you are wrong. The program is open to any and all businesses, not just a few. A hot dog stand on Rt. 79 could participate. It clearly helps to encourage people to shop in the town where they live. What is wrong with that? Why are you trying so hard to find something wrong with a program designed to help lower property taxes?
KB
6:53 am on Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Marlboro you are apparently confused. The issue isn't the hot dog stand on the corner, it is the many local businesses which may have ties to committee members or their family members. If you are correct that it is open to all businesses, that would include law firms and real estate firms. Need I draw a map?
Since you seem to have some inside information, perhaps you can tell us whether there will be an exclusion for businesses with ties to committee members and their families. . Or better yet, specifically bar present and future committee members or their families from participating. Then we will know whether this is just another example of the little folk benefitting a little, so the big fish can benefit alot.
Marlboro male
9:03 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Hardly. Not confused at all. As I said, the person who runs the company lives right near me. You are just fishing for imaginary things to worry about. It is very simple and is open to every business and taxpayer. Who cares if Hornik has a relative who owns a business in town? A taxpayer can save money from that business the same as anyone else's. As I said, it amazes me how hard some people look to find the negative in any good thing. Must be what happens when people comment. They feel they have to be cynical and negative to show how much they think they know.
KB
10:46 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Take a basic course in Ethics in Government and then report back. The fact that your buddy next door runs the program just makes the case. Since it is you who chose to initially comment on my opinion, it seems you are the one trying to posture here. You also didn't address any of the obvious conflicts of interest, but let's hope Middletown's lawyers do more vetting than you.