The Tale of the Headlines

There are two stories that interest me. One is The Daily Journal article titled Winter going out with a wimper.

Snowfall amounts have been about half of normal this winter, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Mark DeLisi. Most of South Jersey should pick up about 15 inches of snow each winter, he said.

The other is the AP article titled DOT slippery when wet.

The state Department of Transportation has asked for an extra $10 million toward its snow-removal budget this year. Sound surprising, considering the winter New Jersey has had?

Sure, Cumberland County may not represent the entire state. And if you read the AP article, you’ll read DOT Commissioner Kris Kolluri talk about instances and not accumulation.

But half is on the low end and Kolluri states they err on the low side. So, why are the extra funds needed?

I have a little experience with budgeting. I have never met a department that purposively lowballed its needs. Rather, every department I have worked with tried to hide extra funds.

In five years, snow removal costs in the budget have more than doubled.

Given the issues with New Jersey government spending, chalk me up as skeptical to the DOT under-requesting what it needs yearly. And if it turns out to be true, the DOT has no one to blame but itself.

Despite the “need”, Governor Corzine needs to demonstrate fiscal restraint and executive oversight. No money should be provided until a thorough audit of the DOT is completed. Why does it not have enough money to cover snow removal on one of the lightest winters in years? Whoever is responsible needs to be dismissed immediately.

Our budget woes are only exacerbated when departments fail Budgeting 101. Ms. Cooper has another investigation to launch. Until then, Mr. Kolluri can work for free.

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