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EDITOR: The current Bedminster Township Committee and administration have and continue to serve our community very well.

Services are provided with quality and professionalism and at more than fair costs to taxpayers. There are always exceptions, but I strongly recommend that voters move beyond any single issue and consider all that is exceptional with living in Bedminster.

Issues facing our federal and state governments are not in the control of local officials and need to be discounted in local voting decisions.

I offer the above assessment based on 45 years as a independent Bedminster resident and 25 years of municipal public service, including 12 years as a committeeperson and three as mayor. And as someone who has monitored Bedminster operations and taxing over the years.

I strongly support sticking, in this case, with what is working; there is no need for change at the local level.

Vote on Nov. 6 for Larry Jacobs and Renee Mareski for Bedminster Township Committee.

JOSEPH H. METELSKI
Bedminster Township

EDITOR: As the seasons change, Bedminster becomes an even more special and unique place to live.

This autumn, residents can visit the Farmers’ Market each Saturday at River Road Park and other nearby great events such as the Raritan Headwaters’ Old Fashioned Country Fair on Sunday, Oct. 7, the Far Hills Race Meeting on Saturday, Oct. 20, and of course, our Bedminster Charities’ Fall Fest on Saturday, Oct. 27.

Whether on the Hike and Bike Trail or enjoying the spectacular backdrop of the Somerset Hills – Bedminster is quite beautiful and bucolic.

Maintaining Bedminster’s rural character, agricultural integrity and the ability to enjoy our open space continues to be of utmost importance to the Township Committee as well as our residents.

Our Township Committeeman Larry Jacobs and our Environmental Chair Renee Mareski have both worked diligently, along with our township team and Environmental Commission, to ensure that we stay true to our township’s rural, recreational, agricultural and equestrian roots while making improvements in Bedminster that matter to our residents.

Both Larry and Renee first served as volunteers for Bedminster on boards and commissions before assuming their present leadership roles and since that time, they have both been extremely dedicated to Bedminster.

By serving as volunteers in that capacity, they were able to learn how Bedminster works organizationally, structurally and, very importantly, financially. This foundation has absolutely been a key element in Larry and Renee’s continued success as leaders in our community.

The challenges Bedminster will face in the future, both budgetary and otherwise, will require the experience and knowledge that Larry and Renee already possess and utilize on our behalf on a daily basis. They have both forged crucial relationships throughout our community, such as with our school board, our township staff, members of our volunteer boards and commissions, and our neighboring communities.

These relationships are imperative as we seek to implement additional shared service opportunities, which will continue to translate into savings for our residents.

It is this background, experience and knowledge of Bedminster that make Larry and Renee truly the best candidates for Township Committee.

I am very proud to work with them as colleagues and hope that you will join me in supporting Larry and Renee for Bedminster Township Committee on Nov. 6.

STACI SANTUCCI
Bedminster Township
Committeewoman

EDITOR: Please join me on Tuesday, Nov. 6, in voting for Larry Jacobs and Renee Mareski for Bedminster Township Committee.

In sports parlance, voting for Larry and Renee is a layup.

As a current Township Committee member, it has been a privilege to serve with Larry over the past two years. Bedminster residents can rest assured knowing that through his vision, hard work and tireless dedication, Larry earns his stripes.

Unafraid to roll up his sleeves and take on an issue, we have successfully relied on Larry’s guidance on key matters affecting land use, affordable housing and our environment. Also acutely aware of Bedminster’s bucolic way of life, Larry has spearheaded numerous open space initiatives and has been instrumental in stewarding our inaugural farmers market this summer and fall.

As is the case with all five Township Committee members, Larry is a budget hawk who shares our passion to deliver quality, transparent, government in the most economical way possible. Plainly put, if you are a Bedminster resident, you owe it to yourself to reelect Larry Jacobs to Township Committee.

Hills resident Renee Mareski currently serves our community as the chair of our Environmental Commission. Under Renee’s leadership and vision, we have witnessed its incredible resurgence.

Renee and her team have successfully rolled out interactive, educational programs involving bees, bats and butterflies just to name a few, and have provided meaningful governmental services such as well water testing and seeking grants for township infrastructure for alternative energy.

Renee is a longtime Bedminster resident and her local roots run deep. In addition to her chairwoman duties, Renee is and has been a consistent attendee and participant at our regular Township Committee meetings.

Renee’s proven commitment to Bedminster renders her uniquely qualified to hit the ground running on day one.

Thank you for reading and considering my endorsement of Renee Mareski and Larry Jacobs for Township Committee in Bedminster this year.

DOUGLAS A. STEVINSON
Bedminster Township
Committeeman

EDITOR: As one of 22 residents of The Hills development who the mayor and Township Committee have chosen to serve on Bedminster boards – Land Use, Board of Health, Environmental Commission, etc. – and past and present board member of community associations at The Hills, I am in a unique position to attest to the relationship between the neighborhood associations and local government.

Our current Township Committee has been very responsive to the needs of The Hills’ various neighborhoods and the two Republican candidates are well suited to continue and improve that relationship.

Larry Jacobs, formally of the Fieldstone neighborhood, was instrumental in getting the Interstate Route 287/Rt. 206 off-ramp completed, finished the Hike and Bike Path connecting River Road and Burnt Mills Parks, and negotiated a rate freeze with the Environmental Disposal Corp. (EDC) when they were acquired by New Jersey American Water.

Renee Mareski, of Crestmont, and a past home owner association board member, has distinguished herself as chair of the Environmental Commission where she initiated the very popular farmer’s market and joint educational/outreach programs with the Bedminster School.

Larry and Renee are accomplished leaders, will continue to keep your property taxes the lowest in Somerset County and preserve our quality of life so Bedminster can continue to be the wonderful township we all cherish.

I submit this letter as a resident of the township of Bedminster and not in my capacity as board member of any community association at The Hills. The opinions offered are my personal opinions and do not reflect the position of the governing board of any community association at The Hills.

DAWN MARCH
Edgewood Road
Bedminster Township

EDITOR: As a citizen of Bedminster, I am so proud to see two intelligent, experienced candidates – Committeeman Larry Jacobs, and Renee Mareski – running for Township Committee.

For at least the last 10 years, Bedminster has had a dignified, civil, responsible governing body. They have successfully maintained our quality of life while keeping taxes low.

Recently, Bedminster was ranked one of the top towns in the state of New Jersey for doing an outstanding job of holding down property taxes.

As a sitting member of the Township Committee, Jacobs has been an integral part of making that happen. As a citizen who has been deeply involved as a volunteer in Bedminster for years, Mareski has proven her commitment to our township. If they are elected, our taxes will remain low, Bedminster will remain civil, and our quality of life will remain exceptional.

Vote Jacobs and Mareski for Bedminster Township Committee on Nov. 6 to keep this momentum going.

KATHY CHRISTIE
Old Stonehouse Road
Bedminster Township

The Bedminster Republican Municipal Committee is proud to announce the nomination of Township Committeeman Larry Jacobs and Environmental Commission Chair Renee Mareski for the Bedminster Township Committee for 2018

Committeeman Jacobs is in his second term on the township committee; he is responsible for creation of the Bernardsville, Peapack-Gladstone and Bedminster Shared Court that has saved more than $500K in just three years. He brokered the preservation of more than 650 acres of open space and intervened in the New Jersey American Water purchase of EDC ensuring a rate freeze for residents of the Hills. Larry is an environmental attorney and his wife, Mimi, a former PTO president has been residents of Bedminster for more than 20 years, with their children attending the Bedminster/Bernards schools.

Currently he is proud to announce a township budget with NO increase in the amount to be collected from the taxpayers. He is also leading the initiative to create a Farmer’s Market in River Road Park to promote Bedminster farmers and local agriculture, the market is set to open in June.

Renee Mareski, is the chair of the Environmental Commission, is a life-ling resident of the Somerset Hills and, with her husband Joe, and dog Jenny is a 20 year resident of the Hills beginning in Parkside and now in the Crestmont section where she is member of the home owners’ association governing body. A graduate of St Laurence University with a Master’s Degree in Animal Science from the University of Kentucky.

As a chair and member of the Environmental Commission Renee has promoted joint educational programs with the Bedminster School (like Moth Night, and the upcoming Bat Night) along with oversight of the Lamington River restoration project in Pottersville.

Please join us in voting for Larry Jacobs and Renee Mareski for Bedminster Township Committee on June 5th

Announcing the new Bedminster Republican Social Club!  We are forming to bring like-minded Republicans in Bedminster and the Somerset Hills together to not only keep abreast of local, state and national issues….but also to have a good time and enjoy the company of our fellow members of the Grand Old Party (and folks interested in learning more about the GOP locally)!

The club has a Facebook Page , give it a visit, like us and keep in contact with issues of interest to Bedminster.

The Case for Shared Services
A few years back I was at a meeting with a group of other local mayors discussing how Somerset County competes with other parts of the nation in attracting big business and jobs to the area. We discussed the county’s positive attributes; educated/motivated workforce, good schools, beautiful communities, all of what we love about the area. Then one mayor lamented that it was too bad we cannot do much about property taxes. At first I was outraged; imagine a group of mayors, who sign their municipalities’ budgets, conceding to the status quo of high property taxes. Then was chagrined…I understood too well that if you simply look internally at the costs for services, along with the ever-increasing costs of health care, labor, and energy, one could be pessimistic to lowering the cost of local government. Each mayor only looked at his or her town as an island; where the only resources were within their borders. Instead we need to look regionally, to see what each of us has to offer to our neighbors and what can be exchanged for the betterment of all communities.
The cost of living in New Jersey and the bite property taxes have on the average resident is the greatest threat to our way of life in New Jersey. We need to take a business-like view of local government services, with scrutiny on redundancy, inefficiency and overhead. The answer lies in shared services which allow for economies of scale, competitive bidding, and improved service for the taxpayers.
There are already examples of successful shared services locally. Far Hills Borough, contracts Public Works with Bedminster Township. Bedminster and Far Hills also share a volunteer Fire Department, First Aid Squad and the Clarence Dillon Public Library.
Municipal Courts: Consider the shared municipal court of Bernardsville, Bedminster and Peapack-Gladstone. Each town struggled to maintain a court facility, employ a staff with a credentialed Court Administrator, and hire a judge, prosecutor, and public defender. Each town only had enough cases to hold court for a few hours, two or four times a month. This was a tremendous overhead for a small amount of production. The new shared court serves three municipalities, employs one staff (less than half of the three combined), one judge, prosecutor, and public defender. The new court meets one day a week. Previously court services were a drain on each of the three municipalities, now the court is self-sufficient and has saved more than a half a million tax dollars for the three towns over since inception in 2015.
We need to use this model to look at other services that our towns provide that could be improved:
Police: The single greatest cost driver for any municipality, and, aside from the school, the service most important our residents. We look to our police to keep us safe and we should always strive to have a capable, well trained and well equipped force that deploys its resources efficiently and effectively. In the Somerset Hills we have small (under 20 officers) and very small departments (under 10). Each department has a Chief, a second in command, and a detective bureau. Each town must maintain a jail/detainment cell, weapons/ammunition, a fleet of vehicles/radios, etc. Small and very small departments impede officer career development; there are few candidates to compete for fewer positions, and less opportunity for advancement. Growing a new “chief”, required by state law to be promoted from within, is difficult with such a limited pool of candidates. Shared services in police services could be as modest as sharing shifts, shared regional training/resources, or a full-fledged merger into a regional force. Patrol coverage can be maintained, personnel professional development and training can be enhanced, and significant tax dollars can be saved.
Building Code Inspections: If you have ever put an addition to your home, you know that there are a myriad of permits and inspections before/during/after construction. Many small towns only have enough demand to hire inspectors one or two days a week. Taxpayers utilizing this service are often frustrated when they are ready for an inspection only to find they must wait a week or more until it is “our day” for the inspector to serve our municipality. This is a service that should be available every work day. Lost time during construction costs money and slows progress. This is a service that should be regional, perhaps even at the county level.
Library: The Clarence Dillon Public Library, already a shared service success, is vibrant and serving as a library/culture and community center. Peapack-Gladstone has a library in a few rooms in Boro Hall and has struggled to build a stand-alone facility. If Peapack-Gladstone joined CDPL, it would gain a more robust library with greater service to the twin borough’s taxpayers.
Recreation: In the Somerset Hills, we have recreation departments that put forth quality programs but struggle to serve enough “customers” to make them self-sufficient. Our towns are not equal in terms of athletic fields, indoor facilities and population and municipalities struggle to match facilities with demand. Spending on turf fields, pools and recreation programs often falls short in tight municipal budgets when compared to roads, police and first responders. All of our children will go to high school together; shouldn’t they play together in youth recreation? Regionalization of recreation programs is the answer.
There are plenty of opportunities for local governments to innovate to save money and/or provide better service for our taxpayers. The obstacle is political will on the part of local leaders (mayors, council/township committee members). Often they cite the loss of local identity and a small group of vocal opponents clamor to “save” their boutique service. They will say the taxpayers are ultimately willing to pay a premium for this inefficient distribution of services. With newly elected leaders in many of our municipalities, urge them to work with their neighbors to make local government more efficient through shared services.

Steven Parker, Mayor Bedminster Township

This past spring, New Jersey American Water (NJAW) approached the Bedminster Township Committee requesting a resolution in support of their proposed purchase of EDC in Pluckemin.  Purchase of a utility requires a hearing before the Board of Public Utilities (BPU).  The Bedminster Township Committee elected to hire special counsel, William Mosca, Bedminster/Hills resident, to represent the township and the surrounding municipalities (Bernards Twp, Far Hills and Peapack-Gladstone) serviced by EDC.  Mr. Mosca negotiated an agreement with NJAW to freeze rates for five years, investigate and report on alternative billing plans (user-based sewer rates), and address storm water infiltration into the system.

Why didn’t the TC ask to lower rates?  A “Rate Challenge” is the mechanism required to go before the BPU to formally ask for a rate decrease.  Purchase of a utility does not open the door to a rate challenge by the users or the new owners of the utility.  A freeze agreement is the best alternative under the present circumstances.  The last rate increase was nearly 5 years ago and this agreement will not likely take affect for another six months, making the overall rate freeze more than 10 years.

What does “addressing infiltration” mean?  Much of the water EDC treats is storm water (rain water) that seeps into the system due to leaks in the pipes and drains due to poor maintenance over the years.  Plugging these holes will make EDC more efficient, allow them to treat less water overall, saving the utility money, which should be passed along to the consumer.

Are user based rates around the corner?  There is much debate as to how user based rates will be enacted and if so, will the average user save money?  We will see what the rate study shows and expect to give it a public airing before it will likely be enacted.

NJAW already supplies most users with their water, therefore should know water usage by individual users.  EDC always argued flow meters would need to be installed on households at great capital cost to accomplish a user-based rate structure.

For more info read the article in the Bernardsville News.

The burden of property taxes is the greatest issue confronting New Jersey.   The Asbury Park Press recently did a fascinating series detailing the problem and factors creating our current situation.

Despite the fact that Bedminster property taxes are the lowest in the area– we believe Bedminster can do better.

Steve Parker and Larry Jacobs have been working on making local government more efficient by engaging in shared services with neighboring municipalities:

1-Shared Court with Peapack-Gladstone in 2014

2-Nearing deal with Bernardsville to bring that borough into shared court

3-Shared tax collector with Far Hills Boro in 2015

4-Shared Senior Van with Peapack-Gladstone

5-Shared Cleaning contract with Bedminster Board of Education

6-Blue Ribbon Commission that brought Pottersville, and Far Hills/Bedminster Fire Departments together for better efficiencies of training and operations.