On Feb. 8, the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders introduced their 2018 budget with an increase to the tax levy of $3 million over the 2017 tax levy.
Eliminating the increase and dropping last year’s tax levy by 2 percent would require the taking of an extra $9 million out of the freeholders’ surplus account which is there for the taking.
At the public portion of the work meeting, I requested that the freeholders put the matter to the voters in a non-binding referendum on the June primary election ballot with the intent of honoring the will of the voters. I was met with silence.
Monmouth County is the home county of Gov. Phil Murphy and the vote on the freeholders’ 2018 budget is scheduled for 5 p.m. March 8 at the Monmouth County Hall of Records in Freehold.
Maybe the silence can be broken if a few thousand of the more than 600,000 people in the county show up requesting the non-binding referendum question.
Ray Kalainikas
Manalapan
