Paying the Bills - Old School

Hillsborough Township is off to a pretty good start this budget season, exacting wage freezes and give-backs from union and non-union employees.  Undoubtedly, further creative solutions will still be needed before the municipal budget can be balanced.  The question is, how can you continue to pay the bills when the cash has run out?

I recently acquired a unique piece of Hillsborough history that I thought might provide some answers - a one hundred thirty-year-old transaction ledger from the JC Lane General Store in Neshanic.  The 635 page book covers the period from December 1879 to March 1881 and offers a fascinating glimpse at everyday life in 19th century rural America.

I wasn't surprised to find that one of Lane's most frequent customers was Hillsborough Township.  As I carefully turned the pages I found numerous entries for Hillsborough - items ranging from coffee and cranberries to tobacco and kerosene.  The town made payments on the account periodically, usually in cash.

It wasn't very far into the ledger - page 59 - that I found the first example of Hillsborough's creative financing.  On February 7, 1880, the municipality made a $9 payment toward their account, not with cash, but with 18 bushels of potatoes.  Likewise on June 25 of that same year, the town received a credit of $6.61 for bringing in a quantity of butter, and 19 1/2 dozen eggs.

In so doing, Hillsborough was no different from dozens of other Lane customers who often paid their accounts with goods from their farms. 

In 2010, Hillsborough is once again following the example of the private sector.  Some ideas never go stale.