Gloucester Township To Borrow $6 Million As Part Of Capital Improvements Budget

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — On Monday night, Gloucester Township Council unanimously approved its proposed Capital Improvements Budge on second reading. The budget calls for the township to set aside $6,632,363 and borrow $6,316,635 in bonds or notes for the acquisition of various pieces of capital equipment and the construction and completion of various capital improvements in the township.

Gloucester Township resident and Republican Committee Chair Ray Polidoro, who questioned why the township needed to borrow the money during the proposal’s introduction on Jan. 9, asked council how much debt this put the township in. Business Administrator Tom Cardis wasn’t sure of the exact debt amount, but said the township was at about 1.5 percent of the average debt in the state for the last three years.

According to the debt clock posted on gttaxes.com, the township’s debt is over $114 million.

Part of the money would go to pay for patrol rifles, computers, radio equipment, mobile data terminals, body cameras, traffic safety equipment and all-wheel drive vehicles for the police department.

Council President Orlando Mercado pointed to this portion of the ordinance in response to Polidoro’s questioning about the possibility of painting a Thin Blue Line in front of the municipal building and the police department on Chews Landing Road.

The line is designed to show support for law enforcement. It is painted between two yellow lines, with the top line representing the community and the bottom line representing criminals. The blue line in the middle represents police separating criminals from the community.

However, the U.S. Department of Transportation has said that the Thin Blue Line is actually illegal, and could be confused with the blue paint used to designate handicapped parking spaces.

Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick (R-Union) has introduced legislation allowing local government officials to show their support for law enforcement, but that proposal hasn’t been brought before the full assembly yet.

On Monday night, Polidoro asked council to implore the district’s representatives in the Assembly to push the bill forward. Mercado said he would forward Polidoro’s comments.

“The blue line is a wonderful gesture to support the police department, but I think our police department knows that council and the administration support them through the tools and resources we provide for them, as evident by what is in our capital budget,” Mercado said.

The bond passed Monday night would also cover computer equipment for various municipal offices, as well as the following areas:

• the reconstruction and/or repaving of various sidewalks in the township and streets, including Cherrywood Drive, Edgewood Place, Broadacres Drive, Orchard Avenue and Prospect Place, among others;
• the installation of playgrounds at Brittany Woods and State Street Park, and the installation of traffic signals and street lighting;
• building improvements at the municipal hall, recreation center, public works building, community center and library;
• additional and replacement equipment, including leaf machines and various utility vehicles, among other items, for the Public Works Department; and
• acquisition of equipment and completion of improvements for parks including fencing, mowers and the resurfacing of various recreational areas.

Finally, funds will be used to help complete various township projects, including Blackwood Lake Dam, the Compost Facility and bus shelters.

Patch file photo