Council Gives 2011 Town Budget Thumbs Up

Town Council unanimously approved the $22.9 million municipal budget Monday night, setting the stage for a slight increase to taxes in the coming year.

The spending plan calls for a tax rate of 29.9¢ per $100 of assessed home value, up from one half-cent from the 2010 budget. A homeowner with property assessed at the township average of $533,800 will pay $1,596 in municipal taxes in the coming year, an increase of about $27.

Before adopting the budget, Town Council heard public comments on the proposal. 

Richard Koory, a Chester Avenue resident, noted that council is considering various community projects, such as new holiday decorations, that will cost money. 

“Has any consideration been put in to raise the (rate of) taxes by a penny? Maybe we can take care of these (projects),” he proposed. “You’ve done a great job in keeping taxes down, but maybe we need a few more dollars.”

Council wasn’t inclined to change the budget in the 11th hour, right before the adoption vote, Mayor John Button responded.

Deputy Mayor Greg Gallo added that line items invariably change throughout the year as some costs come in less than expected, and unanticipated savings could fund proposed community projects.

“There will be things that come up throughout the year that I’m motivated to find a way to get done—things that add to our quality of life,” Gallo said. 

Parry Road resident Evan Begg, the only other person to speak during the public hearing, compared the budget process to making sausage. It’s not always pretty to see how the product is put together, even if the result is pleasing.

In particular, Begg criticized certain council members for “attempting to Mickey Mouse or game” the budget process by suggesting Moorestown draw funds from the reserve for uncollected taxes.

He also frowned on earlier discussion to use part of the surplus to balance the budget.

“Much like you’ve upset a good part of the community by raiding the open space fund, this council member wanted to raid government surplus,” Begg said, adding that the plan would’ve left less money to handle emergencies, such as the sewer problems on Mill Street several years ago.

Both of Begg’s criticisms were aimed at workshop discussions on the budget. The final budget result, he noted, “is fine, but the way you got there was very disturbing.”

Button took exception to the term “raid” when it comes to open space fund use and also refuted Begg’s characterization of council’s intent.

“I’d ask that you’d be careful of the wording you use when you use words like gaming,” the mayor said. “That goes over the edge of the council’s intent.”

Gallo later added that workshop discussions are just that—a discussion of ideas.

“What you call gaming I call brainstorming,” Gallo said, adding that past councils resisted discussing all possible ideas for the budget. “This council has continued to act with extreme responsibility.”

The adopted budget calls for $15,428,163 to be raised through taxation. The tax levy is about $259,000 more than last year, and $926,403 less than the maximum levy cap allowed.

Click on the PDFs, to the side, to view the full budget or a budget summary.