Township Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed 2006 $37.3 million budget on Tuesday.
By:Lea Kahn Staff Writer
Township Council plans to hold a public hearing Tuesday on its proposed $37.3 million municipal budget for 2006 and to take final action on the spending plan.
The 7 p.m. meeting will take place in the Township Council chambers at the Municipal Building.
The proposed 2006 budget carries a municipal tax rate of 65 cents per $100 of assessed value a 3-cent increase over the 2005 municipal tax rate of 62 cents.
This means the owner of a house assessed at the township average of $164,117 would pay $1,067 in municipal taxes for 2006. This is an increase of $49 over the 2005 municipal property tax bill.
The 2006 budget includes several new positions a deputy director of emergency management, and one laborer and one mechanic in the Department of Public Works.
The deputy director of emergency management would be a civilian employee who could perform some duties that are currently handled by a police officer freeing that officer for other duties that could only be performed by a sworn police officer, according to Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun.
Other duties for the deputy director could include conducting crime prevention seminars and fire inspections, Mr. Krawczun said. The township Fire Prevention Bureau inspects multiple dwellings, such as the dormitories at Rider University, and the Brookshire senior citizens rental complex on Darrah Lane, he said.
The budget also includes an additional sergeant in the Police Department, but not an overall increase in the number of police officers. There are presently nine police sergeants.
In other business, Township Council is expected to introduce an amendment to the township’s pay-to-play ordinance that would bar redevelopers from receiving no-bid municipal contracts in redevelopment areas if they made political campaign contributions.
Township Council was set to introduce an amendment to the pay-to-play ordinance at its April 19 meeting, but sent it back to the drawing board after listening to suggestions offered by a community activist at the meeting.
The council is seeking to strengthen its pay-to-play ordinance through an amendment that would add redevelopers to the list of professionals whose political campaign contributions would bar them from receiving no-bid contracts.
Pay-to-play regulations are aimed at professionals who seek no-bid contracts from Township Council. Under state law, governing bodies may award contracts to attorneys, engineers, architects and planners without first seeking competitive bids. The ordinance amendment seeks to add redevelopers to the list.
Under state law, a redeveloper is defined as "any person, firm, corporation or public body that shall enter into or propose to enter into a contract with a municipality or other redevelopment entity for the redevelopment or rehabilitation of an area in need of redevelopment…or rehabilitation…or for any other construction or other work forming part of a redevelopment or rehabilitation project."
Township Council serves as the redevelopment agency and would sign an agreement with a redeveloper for a project. The Brunswick Pike South Redevelopment Area a one-mile-long stretch of Brunswick Pike, between the Brunswick Circle and Mayflower Avenue is the only redevelopment area in Lawrence.
The planned Heritage Village mixed-use development on Brunswick Pike between the Slackwood Presbyterian Church and Cherry Tree Lane is the first redevelopment project in the Brunswick Pike South Redevelopment Area. It gained the township Planning Board’s approval last month.
Township Council signed a developer’s agreement in February with The Eagle Group and Community Investment Strategies to develop the property, which includes the former Trent Motel site. The three-story Heritage Village building includes 62 one- and two-bedroom rental apartments for low- and moderate-income senior citizens on the upper floors and office and retail uses on the ground floor.