Behind Closed Doors: 2020 Brings More Fiscal Waste in Fair Haven

Behind Closed Doors: 2020 Brings More Fiscal Waste in Fair Haven

Fair Haven Herald

March 7, 2020 Fair Haven, NJ

By Jeremy Chandler

Fair Haven Culture of Secrecy and Fiscal Waste Continues: Borough Threatens to Drop
$24M on New Boro Hall

After community outrage throughout 2019 over a massive plan to expand Borough facilities, culminating in the landslide election losses by 2 sitting Council members, Fair Haven Mayor Ben Lucarelli is at it again. Despite the clear will of the voters for change, and their rejection of
Lucarelli’s unprecented attempts to waste local tax dollars on an unnecessary Borough Hall upgrade, Lucarelli is once again pushing for the same misguided project to take place across the street from the original plan. And true to form, he and his administration are doing it behind closed doors and in a rushed fashion, apparently hoping they can rush it to completion before voters realize the tax impact is a whopping $24M.

The plans by Fair Haven to build a new Borough Hall will leave homeowners in this small community with an enormous projected bill: $24,182,975. With only 1,864 households, this
project is projected to cost $13,000 for every household in Fair Haven. And that’s assuming no cost
overruns, which is a near certainty with large municipal projects. No expenses are likely to be spared, as Mayor Ben Lucarelli is looking to hire architect Eli Goldstein, who recently designed the Atlantic Highlands Borough Hall renovation which cost $6-10 million.

Lost Tax Revenue Fiscal responsibility is perhaps the most important duty of local politicians. But this misguided plan by Fair Haven will remove a tax ratable currently paying the Borough $39,221/year. And with the average property tax bill at $14,609.20 in Fair Haven, already
among the highest in Monmouth County, the Borough is also removing over $2 million from
the tax rolls over the 40 year life of the financing.

Other Options The Borough Hall project is only one of several projects Fair Haven is proposing. Officials have previously said that rehabilitating the police and DPW structures is not economically feasible. However, the DPW building was only built in the 1970s and the police station is no older than many of the houses around this historic town. Residents are able to rehabilitate and renovate older homes rather than building new, and it strains credulity for Borough officials to argue that renovating existing space isn’t a viable option. Many feel the
Borough should reconsider this option. Further, the current Borough Hall is a former school which is a large, well-maintained structure with several floors and plenty of space for all operations of this small town. Whatever needs the Borough may have for additional space can be solved by using the existing facilities or sharing services or office space with neighboring towns.

Many residents believe this plan is a vanity project residents cannot afford. It is a legitimate question for taxpayers to ask whether it is fiscally responsible for Fair Haven to use taxpayer dollars to buy and tear down the existing serviceable facilities, take a property which
will leave many local business without a home, remove $39,000 from the property tax rolls, and then spend $24 million (and likely much more) to build a new Borough Hall which is not needed.
Compounding the problem of these questions regarding taxpayer funds, Borough officials have consistently voted to exclude public access to discussions involving obtaining the Borough Hall property at council meetings. And now Mayor Lucarelli has released the bare bones details of this
short-sighted plan, and given the public only a matter of days to comment. In fact, Lucarelli and the Council members have failed to even face voters to answer their questions, and they don’t plan to put this unprecedented borrowing/building plan to a vote by the taxpayers.

Pull Back the Curtain When town officials refuse to publicly provide information on how an
unprecedented, amount of public funds are being spent, many would argue this is a violation of their duty to their constituents, and it only fuels a lingering suspicion of government corruption or fiscal malfeasance. More transparency by Fair Haven officials would help alleviate these types of concerns, and a closer look at the issues raised above make the choice to proceed with this Borough Hall project something which many residents feel should be reconsidered.

Further detail was provided in a well-written article on The Red Bank Green, which described the near-unanimous outrage of tax payers which showed up to a hastily scheduled meeting for public comment.

https://www.redbankgreen.com/2020/03/fair-haven-facilities-plan-presentation/

Voice your concerns. Please come out to the public hearing on Ordinance 2020-02: Monday, March 9, 2020 @ 7:00 PM. The place is to be determined due to a large expected turnout.