Mt. Laurel Township Council held a special emergency meeting May 1 to adopt a resolution pursuant to Gov. Phil Murphy’s Executive Order No. 130 extending the May tax grace period to June 1.
The council unanimously approved Resolution 20-R-86, which applies to second-quarter taxes. On Monday, May 4, the township’s teams will go to a full A/B schedule after following a reduced schedule for the past few weeks due to the pandemic. Township municipal buildings remain closed to the public until the governor’s orders indicate otherwise.
Staggering the on-site staffing of township employees is “the only way that we can comply with social distancing,” according to Municipal Clerk/Registrar Meredith Tomczyk.
“We’ve put a lot of safety precautions in place,” Tomczyk said. She explained that all employees must wear masks while in the building and must follow social distancing guidelines as township employees gradually return to work. Dropoff and locked boxes for payments are available outside the building.
With the announcement that parks are reopening Saturday, May 2, Tomczyk reiterated that the only parks in Mt. Laurel accepting visitors will be Laurel Acres Park and Elbo Park, both of which will still have facilities closed.
“They will only allow for walking and social distancing,” she said.
The parks’ bathrooms, pavilions, sports fields, basketball courts, tennis courts and playgrounds will remain off limits to minimize the spread of disease through close contact. A police officer will be stationed in Laurel Acres Park from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. over the weekend to ensure residents adhere to social distancing guidelines and avoid sectioned-off places in the park.
Additionally, Burlington County itself issued a statement notifying park-goers that they are required to wear masks and that access to parking will be reduced by half.
Mt. Laurel is working with neighboring Evesham and Moorestown townships to ensure safety beyond municipal boundaries.
The May 4 regular meeting has been cancelled. Township council’s next regular meeting will be May 18.
