SPRINGFIELD: Township Council authorizes $4M bond

By David Kilby, Special Writer
   SPRINGFIELD — After going back and forth discussing what the township needs the most, the Springfield Council decided to authorize a bond for $4 million that’ll cover mainly fire apparatus and road improvements.
   The council authorized the bond at its meeting Nov. 14 after reflecting upon the debt management advice given at the Nov. 1 meeting by David Thompson, chief executive officer for Phoenix Advisors LLC from Bordentown.
   The first thing the council was able to agree upon was the need for a new tanker for the Jacksonville Fire Department at an estimated cost of $340,000.
   ”This is a piece we want to move forward with regardless of whatever else we want to do,” Councilman David Frank said.
   Councilman Peter Sobotka then suggested approving a bond for $4 million, which would cover all capital improvements needed, including road and municipal complex improvements and, possibly, generators for the firehouses.
   If a new tanker is purchased, the department wouldn’t need another one for about 15 years or about the life of the bond, Mr. Frank said.
   Councilman Anthony Marinello said the council needs to ask the public if this is the way they want to spend the money.
   ”There are 1,100 other houses in Springfield,” he said. “I’d like to see more support for this.”
   Mr. Sobotka replied, “We’re not doing anything frivolous. We’re doing things that are necessary.”
   Since Springfield voters voted down a referendum for school improvements, the council was mindful of the possibility of the public turning down a bond referendum that would raise taxes about $275 per year.
   If the township puts money into road improvements, Mayor Denis McDaniel also acknowledged the roads the residents will notice most are the ones right outside their door and not necessarily the roads that need the most improvements.
   ”Some roads we can get state grants for,” he said. “But when you get state funding, you lose control of your road.”
   Mr. Frank said now is the time to borrow money because interest rates are low, and the demand for work is high.
   ”The longer you wait to fix the roads, the worse they’ll get and the more it’ll cost to fix each one,” Councilman John Hlubik said.
   The council agreed to authorize a bond for $4 million, $2 million of which will be used for needed capital improvements and $2 million for other needs as they should arise.
   With the $2 million, the township would spend $250,000 on municipal complex improvements, $100,000 on a police truck, $450,000 on a tanker for the Jacksonville Fire Department and $1.2 million on road and drainage improvements.
   ”If we get to the end of the (2013-14) cycle, and we identify other clear needs, we’ll push ahead with that,” Mr. Frank said. “If we don’t, we won’t.”
   The bond ordinance will be introduced in February.