Gloucester Township Budget Passes After Contentious Hearing

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Before Monday night’s public hearing on the 2018 budget could even begin, a Gloucester Township resident came before council during the first public comment portion with a request.

“If you’re just going to vote yes, just let us know and don’t make us come up here and speak,” he said.
People in the audience clapped and the tone was set for a public hearing that began just after 7:30 p.m. and ended just after midnight.

During that time, a total of 25 people spoke, voicing concerns ranging from seniors that couldn’t afford to live in the township to declining home values and the impact a proposed affordable housing complex could have on the taxes and the public schools in the township.

In addition to the 25 people who spoke, everyone’s voice was heard throughout the night, as people cheered from the crowd and let council members know when they were unhappy with the response. They told council, “you work for us,” and said it was time to “drain the swamp.”

When the final vote came at 12:05 a.m., Gloucester Township Council unanimously approved the proposed budget with a 7-0 vote. The budget approved wasn’t the same budget that was introduced at the March 26 meeting, though.

Council cut $116,000 out of employees salaries and wages, reducing the overall budget to $61,814,286.89 from $61,893,753.69. Instead of a tax rate increase of 7.9 cents for every $100 of assessed property value, the tax rate increase would be 7.7 cents.

Instead of a a tax increase of $154.05 in municipal taxes on a home assessed at $195,000, the increase would be $150.01. The township submitted the amended budget to the state and gained approval late Monday afternoon. The information was then posted on the township website late in the day and read aloud during Monday night’s meeting in the municipal building.

The cuts in salaries and wages were made to municipal employees who aren’t covered by the union, and no one’s salary was cut, Council President Orlando Mercado said. It’s just that employees covered by the union received their contractually negotiated increases, while those who aren’t covered by a union didn’t receive a pay raise.

One resident was critical of council making the change at the meeting right before the public hearing and approval. She said the public didn’t have enough time to review the new information if they knew it had been posted, and the amendments were read too fast during the meeting for the public to comprehend.

“You introduced a budget to the public you thought was the best you could do, and then we complained and suddenly you realized this wasn’t the best you could do,” another resident said. “So you went back, redid it and offered this up. So could you revisit it again? Why not take a third shot?”

Mercado said the township is under a time limit to submit an approved budget to the state. In Gloucester Township, the administration lead by the mayor drafts a budget that it presents to council for approval. In this case, council went back to the mayor and suggested revisions, which were approved. Mayor David Mayer wasn’t in attendance Monday night, as he typically doesn’t attend council meetings.

Mercado also pointed out that the municipal taxes only make up 28 percent of the total tax bill, with the county accounting for another 24 percent and the township’s two school districts making up the other 48 percent.

The Black Horse Pike Regional School District, which oversees Highland, Timber Creek and Triton regional high schools, will vote on its budget on Thursday night, April 26, 7 p.m. at Highland, 450 Erial Road in the Blackwood section of the township.

The Gloucester Township K-8 School District will vote on its budget on Monday night, April 30, at the district’s administration building, 17 Erial Road, 7 p.m.

Council members engaged with the public during Monday night’s meeting, with Councilman Dan Hutchison saying he was more vocal than usual because he didn’t want to leave any doubt as to what his vote would be. He was insistent that the budget couldn’t be cut anymore, saying public safety makes up 18 percent of the budget and the township needed to keep public safety and public works in tact for the safety of the township and so it could provide services Gloucester Township residents have come to expect.

Members of the public suggested cutting as many little things as possible to come up with one big cut. They also suggested doing more to attract business, citing a revenue problem for the township, which Mercado acknowledged.

One resident suggested a sub-committee to help during the budget process, and many residents echoed the refrain that the township needed to “think outside the box.” One accused the township of only raising taxes when it wasn’t an election year. No one is up for re-election this year, but 2019 is an election year.

“I don’t know if taxes are going to go up next year, but I’m going to try my hardest to make sure they don’t,” Hutchison said.

Last year, council passed a $59,389,202.90 budget that had no tax increase. Two years ago, the township passed a $57,950,948 budget that carried a roughly 12 percent municipal tax increase.

To view the budget, visit glotwp.com.

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