By Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writer
The state’s lack of direction is holding up the New Hanover budget, according to Mayor Dennis Roohr.
He said the township won’t begin addressing the issue until the time “when we find out what we’re going to have to work with from the state.”
Mayor Roohr said he anticipates the upcoming gubernatorial address March 16 will bring “at least some guidance” to municipalities who are widely expected to face major state aid cuts this year.
“What I’m concerned with is the state aid cuts not being equalized through all the municipalities,” he said. “It seems to me that we’re all in agreement that the state’s financial house has to be put back into good order; where the disagreement is is on how to do it.”
He said he is a proponent of making cuts across the board, but fears rural towns such as his may bear the brunt of any cuts state lawmakers try to enact.
“I am concerned that municipalities that have really tried to make a dollar go as far as it can are going to be hit,” he said, while state officials lay off of urban districts “‘because they’re always a problem child.’
“Maybe that’s where you ought to start!” he said.
New Hanover was the second-highest local recipient of aid from the Consolidated Municipal Property Tax Relief Act in December, and Mayor Roohr said CMPTRA aid generally makes up “a large part” of the municipal budget.
While he acknowledged the possibility of cuts to services, he said he does not foresee any layoffs in the township’s immediate future due to the relatively few number of employees it has. The Department of Public Works has one employee, while others wear many different hats.
“We not only provide shared services with other towns,” he said, “our employees do so many jobs we have in-house shared services.
“As far as cuts in (municipal) services, that may happen,” he continued. “There may be things we have to reduce or eliminate; right now I couldn’t tell you what they are because I don’t know how deep the cuts are going to be.”
But he said rather than reduce services, he would first prefer to share more of them with neighboring municipalities.
Mayor Roohr said he does not anticipate the municipal budget being introduced until April or May.
Officials in Chesterfield said that town also does not have its budget ready yet. Clerk Bonnie Haines said the township is just beginning to put numbers together this week.
“We don’t have any idea what the numbers are going to be” for state aid, she said. “It’s not at all a major part of the budget.”
Ms. Haines said the Township Committee will have a budget meeting as soon as next week.
“Probably by the middle of the month we’ll have a better sense of what kind of shape we’re in,” she said.
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