Coronavirus Crisis Costs Brick $1M In Revenue, Mayor Says

BRICK, NJ — The coronavirus crisis has had a significant impact on Brick Township's financial status, costing nearly $1 million in revenues in the weeks since the crisis began, Mayor John G. Ducey said Tuesday.

The financial impact means the township is facing a number of tough decisions, including furloughs and possibly layoffs, Ducey said during a conference call with Sen. Robert Menendez and other mayors from around New Jersey.

Menendez called the news conference to discuss a bipartisan effort called the $500 billion State and Municipal Aid for Recovery and Transition (SMART) Fund, led by Menendez and Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, to help state and local governments respond to the current public health and economic crisis. The flexible funding for governors, county administrators and mayors; the formula would ensure that every county in New Jersey would qualify for funding.

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Ducey, along with seven other mayors, spoke about the challenges that their towns have faced because of the economic impacts from closed and limited business operations, unemployed residents and other shutdowns.

Brick has seen "a staggering reduction" in revenues, he said.

As a result, the township has frozen hiring, will be asking for voluntary furloughs, and there is a possibility of layoffs, Ducey said. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

A plan to hire 12 police officers has been reduced to the hiring of just one, he said. The township is not hiring lifeguards or seasonal workers. He did not have an estimate of how many furloughs would be needed, or how many layoffs could result.

Ducey said the township has seen a 16 percent decrease in recreation fees, an 18 percent decrease in municipal court fees and a 17 percent decrease in permit fees, along with a 19 percent decrease in return on investments.

That amounts to $1 million in lost revenues so far, Ducey said. That doesn't include refunds for sports programs and the township's day care program. The cancellation of the spring softball season, which includes both the girls and the adult league programs, is a significant impact, he said.

Construction revenues are down $450,000, he said, and at the same time sanitation tonnage increased more than 25 percent because residents are at home.

"Being down $1 million in six weeks is very scary," he said.

Ducey called the Menendez proposal a common-sense approach to helping towns through the crisis.

"When we got hit by Superstorm Sandy, the money went to the state and didn’t get to the towns fast enough," he said on the call.

Ducey said there were specific needs in town but the grant funds didn’t make their way down to the town level.

"People were without food and water, and we were getting that mostly from volunteers rather than getting the funding we needed," Ducey said. "This bill will get the money here in Brick Township."

"We have a lot of people doing emergent work," Menendez said. "There have been a lot of people laid off, and a lot of small businesses struggling to stay afloat."

"A national emergency requires a national response," he said.

The SMART Fund bill is expected to be introduced sometime in the coming days.

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