Second Budget Workshop Meeting Set for April 10

The township Committee will hold its second budget workshop meeting on Wednesday, April 10 at 5:30 p.m.

The meeting, which was originally on Lacey Township’s calendar for April 4, will include the presentation of the Department of Public Work’s budget figures along with proposed public infrastructure projects.

Budget numbers have yet to be provided as the township is in the early stages of the process. Township Administrator and Municipal Clerk Veronica Laureigh previously said she would like to see the Committee approve a first reading of the budget by Thursday, April 25.

Lacey’s Energy Tax Receipts (ETR), which accounts for approximately 42.6 percent of the budget, will remain stable for 2013-14. Although the energy tax has been cut by the state approximately $870,647 since 2007, the township has been told to anticipate the equivalent of 2012 levels, which is .

An increase in cost for medial insurance, the expenses incurred due to Hurricane Sandy and tax appeals will have the greatest impact on this year’s budget process, Mayor David Most previously said.

Earlier in March, Most said residents can expect to see a municipal tax increase within the confines of the state-mandated cap.

At the first budget workshop meeting of the year, more than $1 million in capital requests were proposed by the Lacey Township Police Department and emergency services. The police department’s proposed budget includes the hiring of four new officers, a part-time dispatcher and a part-time clerk.

While some requests may be included in the 2013-14 budget, others will not due to limited finances.