Chinese officials bring good fortune to North Brunswick
Reps visit N.B. for info on land-use planning, government structure
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY JENNIFER AMATO Right: North Brunswick Mayor Francis "Mac" Womack receives a piece of artwork from Deputy Mayor Youyuan Wei of Puyang City, China. Above: Members of the People's Government of Puyang City visited last week to learn about land use, planning and the environment.

NORTH BRUNSWICK - Members of the People's Government of Puyang City in the northeastern Henan province of China sat down with North Brunswick Township representatives Friday.

Deputy Mayor Youyuan Wei and his delegates have been traveling to seek information on land use, government systems and the environment. Their visit to North Brunswick was coordinated by Katie Lee, the project manager for the consulting firm Amerilink International Corp., located on Route 130, whose mission is to bridge the gap between the United States and China.

Puyang City was founded fairly recently (1983) and has a population of 400,000 in an area of 50,000 square feet. There are five municipal counties and two municipal districts, with about 20 municipal departments, Wei said through Lee, who acted as the interpreter.

Lee said that every mayor in China is elected by a council and the council is elected by the people. She said mayors are full time and cannot conduct any business.

North BrunswickMayor Francis "Mac" Womack and Councilman Bob Davis explained their township's government, which elects one mayor and six council members to serve in a part-time position.

Township Planner Thomas Vigna, Director of Community Development Michael Hritz and Zoning Board Attorney Karl Kemm then explained how the land use and development process works. Vigna said the township has a master plan that lays out land use, housing policies, transportation improvements and sewer and water utilities. He said there is a state statute that municipalities follow.

They then explained that the Planning Board is a panel of mayoral-appointed residents who review building applications for permitted uses, and that the councilappointed Zoning Board reviews applications for nonpermitted uses.

Lee said Puyang City has a similar set of commissions, overseen by a supervisor.

Lee then asked what happens if a building is constructed without a permit? Womack said code inspectors check the complaint to see if the building is up to code, but if not, "If it's something that they would not get permission for or was not built up to standards or was offensive in some way, they have to take it down."

In relation to this, Lee asked about the consequences of not following construction requirements. Whereas in Puyang City there would be a fine, Kemm said in North Brunswick an improper structure would have to be fixed or demolished.

Lee then asked what happens if the town wants to put a school in a residential area where residents are not in favor of the structure. Kemm said there is the possibility of eminent domain, where the township can purchase the land and pay to relocate residents, but that it is not a favorable solution.

Womack added that in North Brunswick, it seems that residents do in fact want schools, but they don't want to pay the taxes necessary to fund them.

"The biggest crisis in New Jersey is that people cannot afford to pay property tax year after year," he said.

Lee responded by saying that in Puyang City, the tax is 11 percent of the sale price of a property, and all property owners must pay that money before they sell their homes. She said taxes have no connection to income tax, but are mostly based on the duty tax. She said that if she were to drive an American car over in China, the tax would be 200 percent.

"We have a lot of products we can tax in our city," she said.

Another difference was that New Jersey tries to move residents into high-density units, whereas China offers incentives for people who go to an open area to live.

Womack then explained the role of the state Council on Affordable Housing, which was created with the idea that "people of lower income should be living with people of higher income in the same community … to find balance."

In regard to environmental concerns, Davis mentioned that towns in New Jersey are now looking into solar power, wind turbines and recycling.

Lee said that in Puyang City, residents are encouraged to use solar panels, and new buildings are required to do so.

She also said that for any tree that is chopped down, residents either receive a fine or must pay to have three more planted. Kemm said that in North Brunswick, residents either must pay for the cost of new trees to be planted or must replace them themselves.

At the end of the session, Lee and the Puyang City representatives - Director of the Construction Committee Yipin Ma, Deputy Secretary General Xueju Jiao, Deputy Director of the Puyang Municipal Office of Legislative Affairs Qinglin Shi, Director General of the Planning Bureau of Puyang City Jiang Li, Deputy Director of the People's Government of Hualong District Yanjia Ai and interpreter Huawei Tian - presented Womack and his department directors with two framed pieces of artwork and with pins from the upcoming Olympics. North Brunswick officials gave their visitors an outline of their Department of Public Works and a representative map of the township.