By Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writer
BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP Residents would see an average annual increase of $70 in their municipal taxes under the township’s proposed budget of nearly $9.7 million.
The Township Committee introduced the budget at its Monday meeting by a vote of 4-1 with Committeeman Mark Roselli voting no.
The budget, which is $361,735 higher than last year’s, calls for more than $4.6 million to be raised through taxation.
Under the budget, the new tax rate would be 30.7 cents per $100 of assessed home value, according to Mayor William Morelli, seemingly dramatically lower than last year’s rate of 70 cents. But due to a revaluation, the owner of a house worth about $303,000, the township average, will pay $930, which is $70 more than last year’s average municipal tax bill. Last week voters approved the regional school budget, which is separate from the local purpose municipal tax. The school district tax rate will decrease by $1.49 per $100 of assessed property value in part because of the revaluation.
Mr. Roselli said Wednesday he voted against the budget’s introduction because he disapproved of this year’s budget process.
”Last week was what they referred to as a budget hearing,” he said, referring to the committee’s April 20 meeting. “I’ve been on the committee for nine years, and for the first time ever, they proposed to consider a budget an almost $10 million budget in two hours.”
He said the committee received the budget the Friday before the meeting, and did not conduct any other budget meetings with department heads before introducing the budget. The township, he said, is late introducing the budget, which he said explained why it was done that way.
Mr. Roselli said in other years, committee members have had time to hold three or four meetings with department heads and speak with the chief financial officer.
”I thought greater scrutiny should’ve been given to the budget, not just looking at it one night. It shows a lack of understanding of the process and a lack of regard for Bordentown Township,” he said. “I can’t support a budget that doesn’t undergo any scrutiny and results in a tax increase for the residents.”
Before the budget was formally introduced, Mayor Morelli noted the harsh economic conditions under which the committee had to work.
”The plight in which we find ourselves today is the result of bad decisions at the state level over many administrations, whether Democrat or Republican,” he said.
The latest of those, he said, is the pension payment deferral program, which Gov. Jon Corzine signed into law March 18. It allows municipalities to lower their budgets in 2009 by halving their payments into the Public Employees Retirement System and the Police and Firemen’s Retirement System for this year only.
The towns then would have to make up the deferred amount along with their regular pension payments over the next 15 years, with interest.
”In an infrequent show of unanimity, this committee pledged to do everything possible to avoid incurring those payments,” Mayor Morelli said. “I am pleased to report tonight that we have, in fact, succeeded in achieving that goal.”
Later in the meeting, the committee unanimously voted to rescind a previously passed resolution to defer the payments.
”We weren’t sure so proactively we passed the (deferral) ordinance, and then we worked really hard to find a way not to have to do it,” Mayor Morelli explained Tuesday.
He said a loss in anticipated tax revenue was also an issue in the budgeting process.
”We did a lot of cutting to the bone,” he said, including saving $300,000 over three years by trimming trash collection from two days per week to one.
The township also will forego Fourth of July fireworks for the second year in a row. Mayor Morelli said the display and associated employee overtime costs add up to $30,000, which the township cannot afford. Many other budget items also were trimmed, he said.
Township employees are not set to receive raises this year, but if talks with unions go well, no furloughs are expected either, Mayor Morelli said.
Two new officers are being added to the police force, and the township also is looking to hire a part-time emergency management coordinator and an assistant at yearly salaries of $8,000 and $4,000, respectively.
The coordinator will work with county, state and federal management teams on disaster response, which Mayor Morelli said is relevant given the township’s proximity to two military bases.
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