Let’s hope there is a public vote on this costly new building

An open letter to Mayor Rubenstein and the Byram Township Council:

My husband and I read the February 18-24 Township Journal article regarding the Byram municipal building with interest. It stated that the building would come in at $5.5 million. Although the article says “$5.5 million number is not something that is chiseled in stone.” Which means the number could go up and probably will.

Nowhere in the article does it take into account the funds already spent to pursue this project. That number needs to be added to the $5.5 million increasing this to $6 million or more. Looking at the website spreadsheets, there are line items in fine print with no cost applied to them yet. Again this building could come in at possibly at $7-8 million. Not $5.5 million. That is deceptive. Anyone who has built anything knows that the costs never come back lower.

And this is for a township of 8,000 people. Taxes will go up and in this hard economic time, this is not sound fiscal policy. Let’s hope there is a public vote on this building.

Residents, check the website.

Reid and Mary Thompson

Byram Township