PLUMSTED — The first quarter of 2015 was expensive for Plumsted, according to Chief Financial Officer June Madden, who told officials that costs accrued in recent snow storms have already outpaced funds set aside for the 2015 municipal budget.
Speaking to the Township Committee during a budget workshop on March 16, Madden said Plumsted spent $147,933 to pay for snow removal efforts between January and early March.
Madden said slightly more than $29,000 of those costs will be placed outside the tentative 2015 municipal budget’s 2 percent tax levy cap.
According to officials, those costs overshadow the $134,139 in snow removal funds allocated in the tentative 2015 budget, leaving the township with a nearly $14,000 deficit.
In an attempt to address the shortfall, Madden suggested that officials allow her to transfer $30,000 from the $190,000 in various appropriations reserves from the 2014 budget to close the gap.
“I don’t see any other recourse here,” the CFO said. “It leaves [the township] with a little bit of a cushion.”
Although the funding transfer would need to be completed by the end of March, the committee was unable to take official action during the budget workshop.
Officials said a special committee meeting, which only requires a 48-hour notice to residents, would have to take place in order to complete the transfer.
Looking toward next winter, Mayor Jack Trotta said the committee members are exploring potential cost-saving measures for future snow removal efforts.
“In June we are going to sit down and talk about our plans for the future,” he said.
Trotta said some cost-saving methods used in other municipalities, like a brine solution or a sand and salt mixture to treat roads before icy conditions occur, could be employed in Plumsted.
“We are going to look at the options and do it early so we are ahead of the game,” he said.
— Andrew Martins