Middletown Registers Good Fiscal Rating Despite Poor Economy
Middletown Registers Good Fiscal Rating Despite Poor Economy
Good news for tax payers of Middletown. The town has earned a good credit rating. According to Mayor Fiore, if the credit rating of a town is good, it will get a favorable interest when it borrows money. In addition to a favorable interest, the credit can be readily availed of because of the lower risk involved. The good credit standing of Middletown also indicates that its debt is low or relatively small.
According to Moody’s Investor Service, Middletown has an Aa2 bond rating. But Moody has lowered the ratings of 24 other municipalities according to the report made by Bloomberg News on NJ.com. Moody does research and provides risk analysis. It is an accredited premier credit rating provider, according to Fiore.
The affirmation by Moody of Middletown’s good credit rating is a big deal for us, Fiore said. It simply shows that the town has a relatively low debt, and the implementation of austere policies for the past years which include budget cuts have paid off. Despite the bad economy, the town has managed to stabilize its financial position by doing the right thing. Opposition claims that the town’s debt is extremely high and it is headed toward bankruptcy. But what is happening is just the opposite. The good credit rating affirms that Middletown is in a strong fiscal shape. While our town has earned top credit rating, other towns nearby have lower credit ratings, Fiore said.
The Aa2 bond rating of Middletown means that the town has a wide tax base, low debt, and more than enough liquidity reserve.
According to Mayor Fiore and Administrator Anthony Mercanatante, the main factors that contribute to the strong financial position of Middletown are the effective management and fiscal strategies. The fiscal strategies include property evaluation reassessment, budget cuts and staff reduction, wide tax base, speedy payment of amortization lowering debt burden, increased surplus resulting to sufficient liquidity.