Former Moorestown Mayor Weighs In On Possible Tax Increase

MOORESTOWN, NJ - Former Moorestown Mayor Chris Chiacchio is speaking out about the draft budget that was presented at the council meeting on Monday night, March 11.

At that meeting, Township Manager Thomas Neff presented a proposal that would raise the property tax rate by nearly 5 percent. Read more here: Moorestown Draft Budget Brings Almost 5 Percent Tax Rate Increase

Below is an op-ed submitted by Chiacchio on Wednesday, March 13:

The proposed 2019 budget was presented at the Council Meeting on Monday March 11, 2019. The draft budget proposed to raise taxes for our households by a staggering 5%. The proposed budget is just that, a proposal. There will be further review and debate over the merits and the final version may not look anything like the proposal. So I thought! It appears that the Democratic Council Members are in favor of raising your taxes. In fact Mayor Lisa Petriello said when speaking in favor of the tax hike, “This is what happens when you kick the can down the road” and "This is the proposal we end up getting." She inferred that past Councils did a poor job managing the Town’s finances and affairs.

It’s worth a review of the record to see who kicked the can down the road;
- In 2016, Mrs. Petriello voted “Yes” for the introduction of the Budget and “Yes” on the final Budget.
- In 2017, Mrs. Petriello voted “Yes” for the introduction of the Budget and “Yes” on the final Budget.
- In 2018, Mrs. Petriello voted “Yes” for the introduction of the Budget and “Yes” on the final Budget. I note that the 2018 budget included a tax decrease.

Not only did Mrs. Petriello vote “Yes” for each budget for the past 3 years, you would be hard-pressed to find any negative comments or push back from Mrs. Petriello in the Minutes of any meeting where the budgets were discussed (available on the Town’s website).

Regarding the broad inference by Mayor Petriello and Deputy Mayor Gillespie (also in favor of raising your taxes), that prior Councils mismanaged the Town’s affairs, the current Council inherited from the past Republican lead Councils an $8.7 Million surplus and AAA Bond Rating.

The surplus is your money! I challenge the Council Members that support this tax hike to explain to the working families of our Town and those on fixed incomes the reason that taxes will be raised by 5% while sitting on a surplus of $8.7 Million!

Our Town’s Triple A bond rating is the best rating a municipality can attain. Make no mistake, it’s not given out by chance and takes years of hard work and fiscal discipline to achieve. Accordingly, blaming prior Councils as the reason for supporting a substantial tax hike is nothing more than politics as usual. Don’t believe it the rhetoric.

I want to thank Councilwoman Napolitano and Councilman Locatell for expressing outrage over the proposed tax hike. I urge them to continue fighting for a responsible budget and to continue acting in our best interest.

Christopher Chiacchio
Mayor 2014