The Tabernacle Township Committee introduced the 2019 municipal budget during its April 29 meeting.
The municipal purpose tax rate is increasing two cents, from $0.422 to $0.442 per $100 assessed value.
Homeowners with an assessed township average of $264,729 will see an increase of $52.95 per year.
As of now, the anticipated appropriations for the budget total $5,295,054, which is an increase of just under $1 million from the 2018 budget.
A hearing on the budget and tax resolution will be held at the Municipal Building during the council’s next meeting on May 28. Mayor Joseph Barton, Committeeman Stephen Lee and Samuel Moore voted to approve the next phase of the budget process. Deputy Mayor Kimberly Brown and Committeeman Joseph Yates were absent from the meeting.
During the meeting, Department of Finance Chief Financial Officer Rodney Haines gave brief explanations in response to some of the questions asked by the committee involving the budget items. They include:
- An increase of $4,000, from $1,000 to $5,000, is anticipated under the Mayor and Committee line item expenses due to the possibility that technological devices, such as iPads, could replace the necessity for paper.
- The Clerk’s Department anticipates an increase of $26,250 to hire an assistant for about 20 hours a week for digitizing records, among other things.
- A recently signed contract between the municipality and the Tabernacle Rescue Squad required an increase of $16,000, from $12,000 to $28,000 in Emergency Services.
- Parks and Recreation had a $1,500 increase, from $6,000 to $7,500. An increase in construction salary and wages of $8,350, from $145,500 to $153,850.
- The Finance Salary Wages line item is expected to have a 20 percent increase of $6,500, from $32,500 last year.
- Engineering will see an increase of $26,500, from $102,000 to $128,500, for additional funds for other engineering requirements not covered under a state Department of Transportation grant.
- The Public Works Equipment line from increased from $55,000 to $92,000 for the replacement of a dump truck.
