Also, township to create “Heads Up, Eyes Forward!” day
The Tabernacle Township Committee approved the 2017 municipal budget by one vote during its meeting Monday, April 24. The budget will include a tax increase of 0.422 percent. A resident who lives in a home that has an average residential assessment value of $264,350 will see a $52.87 increase.
One of the biggest increases in the budget is a request from the fire department, which asked for $106,000 for items such as training, truck repairs and six fire suits.
As the meeting progressed, committee members made recommendations to change parts of the budget. Some of the ideas included eliminating the $35,000 contribution the township makes to the Tabernacle Rescue Squad and removing $500,000 from the capital improvement budgets. An idea was proposed to lower township employee raises from 2 percent to 1.5 percent and incentivize the raises based on performance appraisals.
The original budget, which was sent to the state for review, required a resolution to be approved because the state wanted a small change made, adding $199 to the debt service line item, followed by a vote to adopt the budget. In a move to try to add other amendments to the budget other than the necessary state change, the original motion was defeated in a roll call vote 3–2 to amend the budget.
A state law says any change that results in more than a 10 percent difference requires a new advertised budget amendment meeting. The committee discussed several options and unanimously approved the resolution, only amending the state line item.
After the resolution had been passed, the roll call vote to adopt the budget commenced. After the vote had been deadlocked 2–2, the passage of the budget came down to Mayor Stephen Lee IV, who sat silently for a moment.
“I do not like this budget at all,” he said while contemplating his vote.
Lee then asked what would happen if the budget was not adopted. Certified public accountant Rodney Haines said the amended budget would be discussed and voted May 8 and it would not be adopted until June, which would run the risk of not being able to put out tax bills on time.
Lee continued to think about his vote for another couple of minutes.
“I am going to make this easy and vote ‘yes’ for the budget, but I am also going to say this. I am not pleased with this budget a little bit. I do not like a 2 percent increase for employees. I do not think we put ourselves in a position where we manage that part of our life very well. I am not pleased with the amount of money we have that is earmarked for the fire company. But I will say this. I am committed, as long as I am sitting in this chair, to work on specifically the things that Mr. (Joseph) Barton and Mr. (Joseph) Yates brought up about emergency services. That seems to be a big bone of contention. The one thing that is a saving grace for me is the fact that just because we budget this money does not mean we have to spend it. The checks still have to be signed by this board.”
In other news:
Lee presented a proclamation to students from the Lenape Regional High School District for their safe-driving initiative “Heads Up, Eyes Forward!” Seneca High School is one of the high schools that is part of the Lenape Regional High School District. The township will make April 28 “Heads Up, Eyes Forward!” Day. The campaign is meant to encourage safe driving and warns students and community members about distractions that can occur while driving, such as texting.
