A new chapter begins for the Medford Township Council this year, as there now five new faces on the governing body as of this month. Those faces include James “Randy” Pace, Chris Buoni, Jeff Beenstock and Frank Czekay — and a fifth yet-to-be-named member.
Pace says he is ready to roll up his sleeves and get to work.
“Medford’s a great community,” he said. “I think a lot of people will recognize that the economy is negatively affecting everybody and everything.”
Pace said he would do his best to maintain essential services.
“There’s going to be an impact,” he said. “There’s a serious deficit.”
Pace said the deficit ranges from $5 million to $7 million.
Township Manager Christopher Schultz will have a preliminary budget ready sometime this month.
“I don’t believe bulk trash is coming back any time soon,” Pace said. “Right now, we’re focused on defining exactly what essential services are.”
He said he is hoping for a mild winter because of costs associated with snowstorms.
“Aside from unforeseen emergencies, catastrophes, I think it’s going to be a pretty quiet year,” Pace said.
He also said he is hoping for more community involvement.
“Civic organizations are going to step up to the plate and start carrying the load,” Pace said. “It’s important that we foster relationships with those organizations to make them more welcoming.”
He said he would try to make township facilities available to those groups.
“In some respects, I think it’s going to be difficult — but it’s going to be a good year,” Pace said. “I think the tenor and tone of meetings will certainly change. If you’re not listening to the public and you were elected to serve their interests, you’ve got to rethink what you’re doing.”
Pace said Schultz would field most requests from the public.
“If the manager tells somebody the township doesn’t provide that service and we don’t have the money to provide it, that’s going to be the answer,” Pace said.
He also said the new council would strive for transparency, one of the criticisms of the last council.
“When somebody asks a question, they’re going to get an answer and they’re going to get a whole answer,” Pace said. “The truth is in the whole.”
He said there is no need to sugarcoat the facts.
Pace noted police officers and firefighters have already been cut “considerably.”
“Is it possible that there are future cuts in those organizations in next year’s budget?” he said. “Yeah, sure there is.”
Pace said he does not yet know the extent of needed cuts.
“The township has a lot of expenses that can be reduced,” he said, such as legal and engineering expenses.
“The economy is such that things aren’t getting done on the scale that they were before,” Pace said.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen going forward with Medford Crossings debacle,” he said, noting there is a possible lawsuit in the works.
The council voted to not move forward with the crossings plan, which would have potentially cost the township $35 million.
Pace said he would welcome development that does not use public funds, because the township needs ratables.
All in all, however, he is optimistic about 2012.
“I really am excited about where we’re headed,” Pace said. “I think the township is going to be better off in the long run. I’m looking forward to it. I really, really am.”
