Our Turn
Time to deliver on public information

Right now every municipality and school district is somewhere in the process of introducing its next budget. For towns, this budget will be in effect for 2003, and for schools, the 2003-04 academic year.

Most of the governing boards have a pretty good idea of what those budgets will look like, but for some reason are very reluctant to discuss it. In some cases, administrators seem to guard the information, as if revealing it will have national security repercussions.

That, of course, is ridiculous. There is nothing of earthshaking importance in any of these documents. However, the attempt by public officials to keep the public from getting the information makes it seem the officials have something to hide.

West Long Branch is among a small number of local public entities that has been talking openly about its budget, and a coming tax increase, since the start of the year. Such candor makes that panel unique. Other public bodies should also notice that such openness hasn’t seemed to create any problems with the budget process.

Unfortunately, it is much more typical for towns and school boards to be reluctant to release information about the next budget until the matter is unavoidable. Even then some councils and boards try to duck the issue.

The conduct of the Shore Regional Board of Education falls into that category. Last week the board voted to send its budget to the county superintendent of schools, who must approve the spending plan. In doing so, it had to reveal the total tax levy.

What officials sought to conceal was what kind of tax burden property owners in the four-town district can expect to face.

When asked what the new tax rate might be, the district’s business administrator said he couldn’t say, because the figure was likely to change.

Whether or not that’s true, the change isn’t likely to be much and the information was relatively easy to discern. For the record, the tax burden to support the regional high school is likely to rise about 7 percent for its four member towns: Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Sea Bright and West Long Branch. For a more detailed breakdown you can check the story in this week’s paper.

By failing to answer such a simple question, the administrator leaves the impression that the district is trying to get away with something.

The same goes for all officials who go out of their way not to disclose public information.

Last year the rules on what public entities have to disclose and when they must do it became a lot clearer. It’s past time that officials review and comply with those rules.