Matawan mayor calls for dialogue Buccellato lists priorities, wants budget scrutiny BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth) swears in Matawan Mayor Paul Buccellato, also a Republican, at the Jan. 22 Borough Council meeting as Buccellato's sons, (l-r) Stephen, 14, and Anthony, 19, watch. MATAWAN - The Jan. 22 Borough Council meeting opened with Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-13) swearing in newly elected Republican Mayor Paul Buccellato. "I am delighted for Mr. Buccellato," Kyrillos said. "Paul is a dedicated and very able public servant. He will be good for Matawan." Buccellato's opening remarks included a laundry list for his term in office, including revamping Main Street and the Transit Village concept for the train station, replacing the fire company's ladder truck and relocating the police department to a more suitable location. "We have the best of fire and first aid volunteers in the county," Buccellato said. "You can't do your work when you have a 22-year-old ladder truck deemed unsafe." Buccellato also called for a meeting between the borough department heads to go over purchasing procedures. "Any expenditure requests made by department heads or councilmembers should include an analysis of the item requested and the impact it will have on the entire budget," Buccellato said in a later interview. At the Jan. 22 meeting, he emphasized the need for a "real dialogue" between longterm residents, business owners, and property owners to bring more businesses to Main Street and preserve the way of life for Matawan residents. What some residents were anxious to hear about was the issue of stabilizing taxes. "I have been living in Matawan for four years and my taxes have increased by $2,000," resident Al Vota said on Tuesday night. "I had previously lived in Old Bridge for 10 years and my taxes had only increased $1,000." Vota is one of the many residents who came out for Tuesday night's meeting to hear the mayor's plans for Matawan's future. "I am afraid I will eventually be forced to leave," Vota said. Vota's house had been reassessed at almost twice what he paid for it, and he fears he will not be able to afford the property taxes. "My escrowpayment for 2008will be rising $900," Vota later added. Buccellato said he understood Vota's position and recommended he file a tax appeal with the county. In a later interview, Buccellato noted that about 65 percent of real estate taxes go to the school district and the county. Buccellato stressed the importance of scrutinizing municipal spending. "One way to control spending is to show the impact the purchase has on the budget and to specify what they need it for," he said. "The next step is to really look into each department and addresswhatwe need versus what we want." "We need to take these first steps," Buccellato said. "Right now we are still working on a temporary budget, but we will be looking further into these first steps and going from there."