Officials eye lowering tax rate increase from an estimated 9.1 cents per $100 of assessed property value to 4.6 cents.
By John Tredrea
Hopewell Township Police and Public Works officials say layoffs in their departments currently being considered by the Township Committee would result in cuts in services that residents would find unacceptable.
Faced with a $17.1 million draft spending plan for 2005 that would bring a 9.1-cent tax rate increase, the Township Committee conferred with officials of the Police and Public Works departments during a budget work session Feb. 9.
A 9-cent tax rate increase would bring the township tax rate to 45 cents per $100 of assessed property value. That means the owner of a property assessed at the township average of $279,500 would pay $1,258, up $252 from last year.
Prior to that session, the committee had asked those officials to respond to the possibility of cutting $300,000 from each of their departments. That would be enough, Committeeman Mark Iorio said, to lower this year’s tax rate increase from an estimated 9.1 cents per $100 of assessed property value to 4.6 cents.
Police and Public Works officials responded that it would be necessary to lay off four employees from each department to reduce spending by $300,000.
"We have had the same number of people since 2001," police Chief Michael Chipowsky told the committee Feb. 9. "Going back to the number we had in 1999 is not in the best interests of the town. I don’t see how we can continue to do a quality job with fewer people."
The township has 36 sworn officers and has had that many since 2002. The last time it had 32 officers, the number it would have again with four layoffs, was in 1999. In that year, the township police received 21,433 calls for service, according to department statistics. There were 27,905 calls last year, an increase of more than 6,000 calls over 1999. "I see no reason to think this trend won’t continue," the chief said.
About 15 township police officers attended the budget meeting, among them Chris Kascik, president of the patrolman’s union. He said the layoffs would "jeopardize public safety. Response times will be longer with fewer policemen on the force."
"These are officers who have come here in good faith, thinking this is where they’d work until they retired. This (the threat of layoffs) is not very good for morale, " added Chief Chipowsky.
Township Public Works Supervisor Victor Silestrov told the committee that, if his department lost four people to layoffs, it would be "losing six people at our main time of year, since we already give two people to the Recreation Department (for parks maintenance) from March to October."
Ed Van Doren, president of the township’s Public Works union, predicted residents would object strongly to the cuts in services resulting from the proposed layoffs at the 29-member Public Works Department.
"People want their road maintained and snow plowed in a timely way," he said. "Same with their brush pickup."
In addition to Mr. Van Doren, several Public Works employees attended the meeting.
During the Feb. 9 work session, committee members said they had not yet made any final decision on where the budget cuts would be made. Committeewoman Judy Niederer said all departments, not just Police and Public Works, would have to share the burden.

