Governor Chris Christie today exercised his veto authority to guard against potentially wasteful or unnecessary spending by partially rejecting the minutes of the March 9 meeting of the Urban Enterprise Zone Authority in connection with $45,700 in promotional and entertainment-related expenses for the Long Branch UEZ.
Long Branch requested the use of $135,800 in UEZ funds to support concerts, special events and marketing initiatives. Governor Christie noted in his veto letter that, while much of the Long Branch project fulfills laudable goals of attracting and promoting businesses within the UEZ, the project budget also contains $45,700 in unnecessary spending in a time demanding fiscal restraint.
“Such expenditures contradict my stated goals of fiscal prudence and are not critical to furthering the goals of the Long Branch Project,” the Governor said in his veto letter. “For these reasons, I am compelled to veto the action which approved the Long Branch UEZ Marketing and Business Development Project 2011.”
Among the expenditures included in the $45,700 in spending vetoed by the Governor:
· $14,000 for promotional items at “conventions, expositions and conferences,” including such things as pads, pens, notebooks, flashlights, key chains, tee shirts, letter openers, sanitizer, Frisbees and other promotional items.
· $15,750 for “videography services” for recording “major car shows, cruise nights and concerts.”
· $15,000 for the “layout, production, printing, mailing and postage of a “UEZ City Calendar.”
· $700 for “refreshments such as donuts and coffee.”
· $250 committed to “travel,” for unspecified individuals, to include “tolls, parking and gas.”
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