Christie Vetoes Portion of Long Branch UEZ Spending Request

Governor Chris Christie vetoed a portion of the minutes of the March 9 Long Branch Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) meeting which called the use of $135,000 in UEZ funds to support concerts, special events and marketing initiatives. 

In his veto letter, Christie said that even though Long Branch's use of the UEZ funds is correctly being used to attract and promote businesses within the UEZ, the project budget also contains $45,700 in what he calls "unnecessary spending in a time demanding fiscal restraint," according to a release from the governor's office.

“Such expenditures contradict my stated goals of fiscal prudence and are not critical to furthering the goals of the Long Branch Project,” Christie 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.”

The expenditures vetoed by Christie include:

•  $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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