Message to Citizens From the Council President

Dear Citizens,

I’m honored to be entrusted by other Council members for electing me as the Council President of this year. I will work diligently with my colleagues on the Council, the Mayor and the entire administration team to manage our budget, improve our planning, and preserve our open space.

I share views with the Mayor and other Council members on many issues. Additionally, there are also several key areas that I would like to focus on this year. They are:

Taxes

Even with several big increases in the past few years, our taxes are still among the lowest in comparable communities. With careful planning and smart financing, we can continue to hold down our taxes without having to reduce the needed services to our residents.

Open Space

How can we protect our already limited open space from development, but without stopping the growth of our town? How can we get rid of polluted, eyesore sites to make our town a better place to live in? Let me borrow one slogan from the recycling program - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

·          Reduce the destruction and development of our dwindling open space stock

·          Reuse already developed sites for different applications to avoid cutting down more trees

·          Recycle deserted or contaminated Brownfield sites to be used for redevelopment

Traffic

New Jersey and Somerset County are getting more congested and we are at a crossroads of central Jersey. How to benefit from the convenience but not get hurt by the associated congestion and pollution is a tricky issue. We need to work with the County and State officials to do forward-looking planning and regional coordination regarding our roadways.

Master Plan

I expect to see the revision of our Master Plan completed within this year.  A thoroughly devised master plan can avoid many controversial issues and development loopholes. I will lead the Council to work with our Planning Board and our administration to design a master plan that can both protect and promote our township.

Municipal Complex/Town Center

I think we should design a true Town Center that not only will replace the existing outdated buildings, but also can provide a venue for our citizens to communicate and socialize. I envision a community activity room, an outdoor amphitheatre, or a little pond near the current KidStreet where young and old can share a family moment together.

E-Government

We need to speed up the office automation process in our Township administration to increase efficiency and provide a better service to our citizens. In particular, we should improve our official website and start the course to convert paper documents into electronic format. I have personally been involved this year with the Technology Committee in revamping our web site and we have accomplished a lot. But there is still more room to be improved. Please take a look at our web site at www.bridgewaternj.gov and let us know your comments or suggestions.

I encourage more citizens to join us in contributing to our community. We need everyone’s involvement to provide safety and security to our neighborhood, to keep our taxes down, to prevent the destruction of limited open space, and to preserve our quality of life. Together we can make a difference. Together we can make Bridgewater the best place to live, to work, and to bring up our children!

Sincerely,

Council President,

Michael Hsing

 

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