Moorestown Council To Introduce Proposed Budget Monday

MOORESTOWN, NJ — After council expressed concerns about raising taxes during a pandemic, Moorestown is set to introduce its proposed budget Monday night.

Moorestown Council will meet on Monday night, June 10, 7 p.m. at town hall, 111 West Second Street. The meeting will also take place by teleconference.

There will be a limit of 12 seats available for members of the public on a first come-first served basis; doors will open at 6:45 p.m. All attendees will be required to wear a mask and practice social distancing.

All other members of the public can attend and participate in the meeting by teleconference just the same as if present in-person. The Mayor will open the floor for public participation to those both in person and on the conference call in accordance with normal protocol.

To join the teleconference, dial 1 201-523-5900 and then enter Conference ID: 990 763 883 followed by the # sign. The meeting will also be broadcast via live stream on the internet. Please note that the livestream is not interactive, and you will not be able to participate in the meeting in this format.

The live stream may be accessed by visiting www.moorestown.nj.us/129/Agendas-Minutes. Once the meeting begins, you will see a video camera icon in the column labeled “Media” next to the meeting date. You can click on the video camera to view the live stream. You will not see the video camera icon until the live stream begins.

The proposed budget to be introduced includes a current fund of $26,480,000 and a $10,450,000 utility fund.

Along with the introduction of the budget comes the proposed ordinance to exceed the municipal budget appropriation limits and establish a cap bank. It is a proposal introduced by municipalities across the state at budget time.

It is done so municipalities can adopt a budget that contains an appropriation increase that exceeds the 2.5 percent appropriation cap (but only up to a maximum of 3.5 percent); or "bank" for future use, the extent to which their actual budget appropriation increases are less than 3.5 percent.

Moorestown Council has determined that a 3.5 percent increase, amounting to $177,816.20 in excess of the increase in final appropriations otherwise permitted by Local Government Cap Law, is advisable and necessary. The total increase would be $622,356.70.

Council will also consider continuing the 2018 tax rate of the Open Space, Recreation and Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund of one cent per $100 of assessed property value for 2019.

The final budget resolution is a certification of compliance with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s “Enforcement Guidance On The Consideration Of Arrest And Conviction Records In Employment Decisions Under Title VII Of The Civil Rights Act Of 1964.

Moorestown Township Manager and Chief Financial Officer Tom Merchel had been proposing a 1.1 cent municipal tax increase over last year's budget, to offset a possible loss of $248,000 in revenues. The township also faces a possible $160,000 increase in its sanitation contract.

During its July 27 meeting, though, Mayor Nicole Gillespie and the other members of Moorestown Council asked Merchel to consider using the township's surplus to offset those costs, rather than raising taxes. Read more here: Moorestown Council Looks To Avoid Tax Increase Amid Pandemic