UPPER TOWNSHIP – On Monday, April 27, Township Committee unanimously approved a $14.46 million budget for 2020, which includes an increase to the municipal tax rate of a fraction of a cent.
The world has changed dramatically since committee introduced the budget on March 9, but the budget was approved as introduced.
“This is the same budget that you introduced, with one exception,” auditor Leon Costello told committee members. The amended budget includes some additional state aid of just over $11,000. The amendment did not change the tax rate.
The budget is within the state-imposed limits on tax rate or spending increases.
At the budget hearing, held remotely because of the restrictions on public gatherings imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a Strathmere resident questioned the budget line item for the beach patrol.
“What happens if the beaches can’t open? Do we pay the lifeguards?” asked Janice Connell, who suggested using that money to fund a master plan specific to Strathmere.
“We’re anticipating that there will be lifeguards. We’re anticipating that the beach will open,” said Mayor Richard Palombo., adding, “things could change.”
Palombo said lifeguards are not full-time township employees and would not get hired or paid if they did not work. Township attorney Daniel Young added that once the guards are hired for the year, they would fall under civil service rules.
Committee members discussed the ongoing impact of the pandemic but said little about its potential impact on the township budget. Committeeman John Coggins said the budget process went smoothly and thanked the township employees for their efforts.
Coggins said the township can transfer money within the budget, suggesting that there may be unforeseen needs that require funding. Palombo added that money could not be transferred from a line item before November, however.
If the city does not spend the money, said Committeeman Curtis Corson, it would end up in the surplus, which could be used for next year.
“The money doesn’t disappear, it doesn’t go to the lifeguards, it doesn’t get carried over for them,” Corson said.
The budget increases the tax rate by 4/10ths of a cent for every $100 of assessed value, to bring the local purpose tax rate to 19.9 cents for the year. That means the owner of a house assessed at $300,000 would owe $597 in township taxes for the year, in addition to county and school taxes. Nearby, on the same night, the Upper Township Board of Education approved its budget for the 2020-21 school year, with total expenditures set at $36.3 million.
Of that, the school is set to raise close to $25 million from taxes, which will mean an increase in the school tax rate over last year. According to the budget presentation at the school board meeting, also held remotely, the school tax rate will be $1.36 and 7/10ths of a cent for every $100 of assessed value. That’s going to mean $3,863 in school taxes for the average homeowner in the township, which the district put at $282,600 of assessed value, an increase of $99 over last year.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also had an impact on the school’s planning for the coming year. According to the district’s budget presentation, virtual learning systems and remote learning applications are part of the budget plan.
School has been out throughout New Jersey since Gov. Phil Murphy’s emergency order in March. Murphy did not outline a timetable when he discussed steps for reopening the state on Monday, but in a television interview this week he said there is a chance schools could open again before the end of this year’s term.
Teachers throughout the state have relied on technology and homework assignments to stay connected with their students while classrooms remain closed because of the virus.
The township continues to plan for the summer, even while the timetable for reopening remains uncertain. Committee members approved hiring Bill Handley, who will return as the captain of the township beach patrol. Palombo said no additional guards have yet been hired, but Handley has to get to work to get everything in place before beaches open for the year.
Palombo said the township would make an announcement when beaches reopen. All township beaches are currently closed, as are parks and playgrounds. Once they reopen, Palombo said at the meeting, there may be requirements to maintain distance between people.
“We’re looking at options on how to best guard the beach, without breaking any distancing rules and following CDC guidelines,” he said, refereeing to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At the meeting, Committeeman Hobie Young said plans continue to move forward for a July 4 celebration.
“We don’t know what will happen with that, but we’ve got to get everything in place for it,” Young said.