Ask Your Freeholders

Got a problem and need an answer from Camden County government? We’ve got your solution. 

"Ask Your Freeholder" is a new weekly feature from Patch in which you get to ask questions and get them answered here every Friday by the Board of Chosen Freeholders of Camden County.

Just send your questions to Haddonfield Patch editor bill.duhart@patch.com or ask it in the comment box below the story, and we’ll take the first three every week and get one of the seven freeholders to personally answer your question for this column.

Here's this week's question:

Robin Potter of Haddonfield asks:

"While I know that the county website has the annual budget posted, it is also posted without explanation. Given the importance of the county programs and the amount of dollars expended on them, it would be helpful, to say the least, for the freeholders to hold a presentation and discussion of the budget on a programmatic basis with comparative dollars highlighted. I know that Jeff Kasko did this last year for the Haddonfield Commissioners and I found the presentation extremely helpful.  The Haddonfield School Board, the third leg of our taxing stool, also does this. The county freeholders do not and should. I have read their press releases, looked over their program discussions and can't find anything that links actual dollars expended to programs. This is a presentation that they should make and that we, as residents, should expect. Not to do so implies that they don't want us to understand. I guess that the question I want to ask is:

"When will they schedule this presentation and publicize it beforehand?"

Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli answers: 

“We appreciate your concerns about understanding the annual budget we produce. This year, we are still working on the 2011 budget but will have it ready by late spring. It will be presented at one of the monthly freeholder meetings, which we advertise, with a summary  of the agenda for that night. Everyone is welcome to attend and to ask questions about the budget. We will also post a PowerPoint presentation that explains the budget in terms of programs and funding on the county website, camdencounty.com. We will also make it available to all media outlets and will make it available in print form to anyone who requests it from us.”  

This is a forum to get answers. Join the dialogue! Please don’t wait. Send your questions today to ensure an answer by next Friday. We want to hear from you; the freeholders want to hear from you.