Budget Discussion Begins in Galloway Township

"We're just trying to get back to where we were," was what more than one official told a committee made up of Galloway Township council members and citizens Tuesday afternoon during the first day of the departmental hearing for the 2011 fiscal budget.

In an effort to wrap up the 2011 budget as quickly as possible, the council asked the departments of government to begin preparing a budget in November, rather than January, as is normal procedure.

This was reflective in the presentation delivered by public works director Steve Bonnani.

"A lot of our numbers are still out there," he said. "These numbers are very rough."

They were also based on a five-day workweek, unlike this past year, when a furlough day forced a four-day workweek. His office introduced a budget with a decrease of $382,000. He spoke of cuts in workforce and hours over the past few years.

He also noted there would be no money to operate the new senior center when it opens. Money may be available from the Atlantic County government for the center's first three years in operation.

The budget for GTV increased, as the department was looking to add an employee to the public access network, which can't accept advertising, but can accept sponsorships.

The need to have an engineer in the department versus the current system of contracting the work to an outside an engineer was debated between Bonnani and the committee.

The number of employees in the Sewer Department and upcoming projects that didn't have a price attached to them were also discussed.

In all, eight department heads went before the committee. They included the heads of the planning and zoning departments, the Construction Department, the Municipal Court, Tax Assessor David Jackson, Tax Collector Al Stanley, Fire Chief Ron Garbutt and Clerk Lisa Tilton.

Council members joining four Galloway citizens on the committee were Mayor Keith Hartman, Vice Mayor Don Purdy and Councilman Dennis Kleiner. Town Manager Roger Tees oversaw the proceedings.

A continuance will be held Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 10 a.m.

Most departments reported virtually no change, but all departments reported a desire to return to the budgets they had before the economy took a sharp downturn and the departments began making drastic cuts.

"Wouldn't we all?" a member of the citizens' committee responded at one point.

Much of the focus centered on public works and the Fire Department.

There was some question over whether the Fire Department could perform some of the duties of the Code Enforcement Department while it performs its inspections. New pagers and a new radio frequency were discussed, although the new radio frequency won't be an issue until 2017. The need for a new fire truck was discussed, with Kleiner saying he would like to see a study discussing the pros and cons of buying new fire trucks versus fixing the current ones.

Garbutt pointed out his budget is larger because of the need to pay the American Water Company for continual use of its hydrants, rather than on a case-by-case basis.

Jackson discussed the need for new five or six new computers in his department. Stanley's office is beginning to put money aside for the possible purchase of computers next year.