Bernards Township Mayor Pens Letter On Budget, Pandemic

Press release from the Mayor's Office:

April 9, 2021

Dear Bernards Township Resident,

With Spring upon us we are all excited to begin this new season with hope and anticipation of a return to normalcy.

This past year has been very difficult for all of us. This March marks one year of various Covid related shutdowns throughout the country. Bernards Township was not spared from these closures and was operating remote for March, April, and May of 2020. But beginning in June of 2020, Bernards opened fully to its residents. I want to thank our employees for facilitating these operations and maintaining a safe work environment for its employees and residents. Residents are reminded you can conduct business with the Township in person or via contactless methods (email or phone).

Also, a special thanks to our Bernards Township Health Department for their continuous effort during this pandemic. The BTHD has been conducting weekly Covid-19 testing and have been approved as a vaccine provider and plans on opening a clinic in Bernards Township to administer the vaccine for all six of its jurisdictions. Currently, due to a limit in vaccine allocations the BTHD has not yet received vaccines but plans to open soon. Our BTHD is also working with Atlantic Visiting Nurses to reach out to homebound and other at-risk populations for Covid-19 vaccine administration. If you are aware of any vulnerable population or homebound residents, please contact covidvax@Bernards.org . For all BTHD information please visit www.bernardshealth.org.

This was a challenging budget year. However, despite losing $1.4 Million in revenue during 2020, the Township will be able to deliver a responsible budget and tax levy for 2021. We will be maintaining all Township Services and will provide a fully funded $5.9M capital budget in order to continue to maintain the Township’s infrastructure. Again for 2021, Bernards Township will remain debt free and with an eye toward future budgets, we have also been able to meet the requirements of the Township’s long standing Fund Balance Policy. Here are some of the budget highlights:

Total Proposed Budget: $41,906,425

Includes Total Capital Budget: $ 5,860,675

Municipal Tax Levy: $21,121,995 – Increase of 1.96% over 2020

Municipal Tax Rate: $ 0.312 per $100 of Assessed Value

The Township is still awaiting specific guidance on the American Rescue Plan Funding. As of now, our understanding is that Bernards Township will receive up to half of $2.6M allocation in the coming months, with the second half to be delivered later in the year or early 2022. Most importantly however, we do not yet know exactly how or when this funding can be used. Our expectation generally is that the bulk of the funds will be used to offset significant revenue losses and unexpected emergency COVID-19 related expenditures incurred by the Township in 2020. However, regarding the 2021 budget, we do not yet have enough information to confidently take the funding into consideration for this year. We expect this to be a budget factor in 2022 and future years.

Parks & Rec. is currently accepting registrations for several spring and summer outdoor youth programs including our Summer Recreation Program, tennis lessons, field hockey and basketball clinics and our Ant & Floor hockey league. Registration is also open for our family friendly Spring into Summer week activities, which take place during school break from April 13 – 17. Available adult programs include tennis and pickleball lessons, outdoor fitness, and yoga classes. Residents may also reserve tennis courts online. Memberships are available for the Pleasant Valley Pool as well. For more information on these facilities visit www.bernards.org.

Starting in May we will begin our “Meet the Mayor Series”. This monthly “meet and greet” will feature guest speakers from our community who will discuss a specific topic and address questions from residents. The date will be announced shortly.

As you all know, Charter Day has been cancelled for 2021 as Covid restrictions are still not where we need them to be to allow this type of event. We anticipate as we progress throughout the year many restrictions will be relaxed, and conditions will allow for a Mayor’s Fall Festival in October 2021 to foster a feeling of community among our residents. Stay tuned for details as we get closer to Fall.

Sincerely,

Janice M. Fields

Mayor

This press release was produced by the Mayor's Office. The views expressed here are the author's own.