Our Republican Township Committee Results and Our Future Goals:
Keep Spending and Taxes Low
* Continue the strong, disciplined fiscal management that consists of a long-term objectives and short-term disciplined decision-making. Continue to produce near-flat annual town budgets and maintain tax rates among the lowest in the state.
* Continue Harding's current status of having no outstanding unpaid pension liability.
Maintain Harding's AAA Bond Rating Through Long Range Financial Planning
* Continue to maintain Harding’s debt rating at AAA. Moody’s has noted that “the credit position for Harding Township is exceptional supported by strong financial management” and effective fiscal governance with a borrowing capacity of $78 million.
Conserve, Maintain, and Protect Open Space
* Continue to invest in Harding’s future and protection of our rural heritage by adding significant parcels to our open space portfolio.
Minimal Government
Divest Glen Alpin Through Diversion to Enable a Proper Steward to Restore the Property
* Continue the disposal of the Glen Alpin property via diversion to accelerate Harding’s debt paydown and relieve taxpayers of the looming financial costs associated with the property.
Uphold Individual Freedom
* Continue to keep Harding’s government small, lean and efficient and out of your business, ensuring you get the maximum return on your tax dollars.
Maintain Harding as a Volunteer-Driven, Caring Community
* Continue to work hard to support all of the volunteers who serve on boards and commissions and help make Harding the town that it is. The New Vernon Volunteer Fire Department and the New Vernon First Aid Squad save our taxpayers millions of dollars a year and we support them every way we can.
* Continue to interface with and support Help for Harding, which serve our residents with errands and other tasks during the pandemic.
Minimize the Impact of State-Mandated Affordable Housing
* The current Township Committee successfully met the affordable housing mandate minimizing its impact on Harding – widely considered among the most successful affordable housing outcomes in the state.
* The current Township Committee sold the Farm at Harding, Harding’s town-sponsored affordable housing development, relieving taxpayers of the financial burden of operating the Farm and allowing us to pay down the outstanding debt.
* Continue intensive planning for the 2025 round of the mandate that is already underway with the goal of minimizing the financial and development impact on Harding.
Transparency and Communication
* Continue to hold meet and greet events for TC members such as the Meet the TC events held at the Kemmerer Library prior to the pandemic.
* Continue to communicate with the town via letters sent to residents for major issues such as the tax re-evaluations.
* Continue to hold special meetings such as Meet the Mayor to review the status of all issues including the budget.
Maintain Historic and Rural Heritage
Maintain and Steward our Natural Resources
Maintain Municipal Independence
* Harding operates in a hostile environment with policies from Trenton threatening our very way of life. We will continue our strong conservative leadership to keep what we have.
* Continue the policy of receiving no state aid to allow Harding to maintain its independence.
Effectively Govern During the Pandemic with a Proper Balance of Safety vs. Shutdown
* Continue to plan and prepare for COVID-19 disruptions and work with our first responders to ensure they are properly equipped with PPE and all other support.
* Continue to keep the town government operating at normal capacity just as it has done throughout the entire COVID-19 shutdown by doing effective planning and management and safely rotating employees between in office and at home rotations.
* Continue to keep all open space properties open during COVID, providing passive recreation opportunities to our residents.
* Continue to interface with and support Help for Harding, which serves our residents with errands and other tasks during the pandemic.
Enhancing Training & Staffing Within the Police Department
* Continue to support the transition and ongoing training of our police force to welcome our first female police officer.
* Continue the police department restructuring that began two years ago to provide for greater training and more effective staffing.
Emergency Planning
* Continue planning for emergency conditions by ensuring our DPW can operate through all conditions, that Harding has the equipment and training needed for effective emergency response, and that municipal operations are closely coordinated with our first responders.