Six months for Mayor Choi to come up with another budget
Wouldn't it be nice if, just once, Edison Mayor Jun Choi's facts about his FY 2008 Budget of $116.1 million would of crossed paths with the truth somewhere along this prolonged sixmonth budget process? Is it any wonder why the line between fact and fiction has disappeared on a budget that's been delayed so long that the year is already half over?

If you recall, the town was operating under an estimated 7-cent increase for FY 2007-08 when Choi introduced his 13-cent or 15 percent tax hike budget back in September. At that time, the council accepted it and it became the council's budget to review and either pass as is or amend. But there was a problem. Choi wouldn't provide any details of the budget to the sitting council or the public. Long story short, he was waiting for his handpicked council to be seated. Hence, six months pass without a budget.

Choi then called a special council meeting on Jan.4 to institute a second estimated tax rate and this one from 7-cents to 9-cents or an additional 2 cents to $1.01 per hundred. This is 14 percent more then was being collected and the four handpicked council members voted for it without any support other than Choi telling them to do so. Council member Dr. Prasad actually said to me his vote didn't raise taxes. I guess the good doctor doesn't know how to add. That's now a total increase of 9-cents or 9.8 percent over last year's tax rate of 92 cents.

At the same time, Choi sends to all the local papers a press release claiming he now has his 2007-08 budget done and it has, you guessed it, a 9-cent tax increase. Now, he can send all the press releases he wants to the newspapers and try and misrepresent his budget to the residents, but the bottom line is his handpicked council is still dealing with that very same 15 percent tax hike budget. Choi gave up any ability to change the municipal budget when he submitted it to the council back in September, who then forwarded it to the Division of CommunityAffairs. This is now the council's budget and only the council can change or amend it and not Choi. So, for Choi to try and run away from his original budget submission of 13- cents and claim his budget is now ready and only has a 9-cent tax increase is disingenuous at best.

Further, the proposed changes that Choi is now spinning as his budget recommendation is not by choice but rather by law. State law limits the increase that can be charged to the taxpayer to 4 percent above last year with some exceptions and the ability to get waivers, if necessary. Finally, tax increase limits that can be measured and verified.

So, now you have to ask yourself why Choi is increasing the tax rate by 9.8 percent when the law says 4 percent? Exceptions and waivers applied for which may or may not be granted is one reason. But you wouldn't know the status since he's not providing the details of anything about the budget and you can't see what's going on. Then he does some other things. First he uses surplus (even though he cries deficit), increased revenue from new ratabales, gimmicks like refinancing debt and one shot deals with developers for a million dollars in order for the government to allow them some backroom deal benefit we taxpayers will never ever learn about.

As for this 9.8 percent increase this year enabling the next two years increases to be 5 percent, Choi has nothing to do with it. It's the new 4 percent cap law that limits the increase. I, however, wouldn't be surprised if Choi comes up with a familiar zero tax increase in 2009 when he running for re-election and 20 percent increase after election.

Choi has proposed two of the largest tax increases in Edison history and still cries deficit and threatens layoffs. Maybe Choi should have taken some budget classes at MIT. Because once again, his numbers don't add up and fortunately for us taxpayers the numbers don't lie.

Joseph Petrucelli

Edison