Next Public Meeting is Tuesday Sept 13th at 7:00 PM, Buck St. American Legion.
Wednesday, July 13th, 2011(Stay tuned for a possible Candidates forum on October 11th, details coming soom)
Daily journal letter “Millville Voters open Their Eyes” : http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20110908/OPINION03/109080339/Time-voters-open-their-eyes-Millville
Daily Journal letter ”LimitedGovernment” : http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20110906/OPINION03/109060321/Proper-limited-government-means-stay-out-business
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(Click the above link for the detailed plans refered to in the article below)
Overlook Project
Should the Millville City government develop and own a hotel and restaurant? The City of Millville was unable to attract a private hotel developer to build a not needed hotel on the riverfront. Most people would assume that if the hotel would be profitable, meaning there is an actual market demanding it, a developer would have taken advantage of it. That is not the case. Master Plans can be amended.
Ask yourself, does a 110 room hotel on the riverfront, adjacent to green acre property, contribute to the artsy/quaint façade of downtown that $25 million plus was spent to create? Does a privately owned restaurant now have to compete with a government owned and subsidized one? If the argument for the hotel relates to spectators at NJMP events, then why haven’t the hotel pads at the track been sold and developed?
The selling point was made that the citizens of Millville will get a new Library out of this deal, and if they bonded the $6 million for just the Library, our taxes would be raised to pay for it. Instead the City will bond approximately $17 million and engage in another convoluted financial commitment. Question is, do we really need a new Library? Can the existing Library be renovated and expanded utilizing the $1 million that the Millville Library already has? Just a few days ago, The Atlantic City press printed an article about the Otto Bruyns Public Library in Northfield, NJ. State Law requires libraries to be a certain size based on the population of the city they are located in. This library saved for the expansion and even will return to the taxpayers $300,000 for tax relief. Isn’t it bad enough that the taxpayers of Millville pay for their own library and also pay for the County Library? If $300,000 was returned to the Millville taxpayers, it would amount to at least $.02 on the tax rate.
The hotel will have to operate at 60% occupancy consistently to pay for this development. Does any current hotel in Cumberland County operate at this rate? If unable to meet this occupancy rate, our City Leaders have committed to use their authority to tax the residents to pay for it, as is spelled out in the Memorandum of Understanding. This hotel will be tax abated for 25 years paying a $350,000 PILOT per year with the RAD taking one half. Is this competition with Vineland to have a theatre, hotel and restaurant? When does the “game” stop? If this is such a good deal for Millville, put it on the ballot.
To better understand these issues, please spend the time to read the Memorandum of Understanding provided.