Napolitano, Locatell Detail Opposition To Moorestown Tax Increase

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Moorestown Councilwoman Victoria Napolitano and Councilman Mike Locatell continue to voice their disapproval with the passage of a $26 million budget that carries a 2.48 percent tax rate increase.

Napolitano and Locatell both voted against the budget when it was adopted on Monday night, July 8, at town hall. Read more here: Moorestown Council Adopts Budget With Tax Increase

Below is a Letter to the Editor submitted by the two members of council:

• Like so many of you that have reached out to us over the last few months, we are extremely disappointed that our colleagues on town council decided to pass a budget that raises municipal taxes. We wanted to take a moment to explain why we both chose to dissent and oppose this budget.
• Our municipal surplus is currently sitting at approximately $8.7 million. This money was collected directly from taxpayers and businesses in Moorestown, and the previous town council agreed in a bipartisan vote to utilize this money for tax relief. To ask taxpayers to open their wallets while this much of their hard-earned cash is already sitting in reserves is unacceptable, especially since this fund has replenished every year even as town council cut taxes for the past three years.
• The Moorestown Mall tax appeal is a short-term problem. The council majority has argued that a tax increase was necessary in part so the township can pay a tax settlement with the Moorestown Mall. The settlement payments will be completed by 2023. Rather than raise taxes permanently, why not utilize the surplus for this purpose? Additionally, we support the sale of package goods licenses at East Gate Square and Moorestown Mall. This would infuse millions of dollars into our surplus and could easily cover the short-term impacts of the tax appeal while helping fill vacant buildings and adding new business revenue to the Township.
• This budget is playing shell games with salaries. The council majority is hiring multiple new employees with this budget, setting aside $250,000. What they haven't told you is that this number covers only half of this fiscal year, meaning the true cost is $500,000 per year, with taxpayers also on the hook for benefits and pensions down the road.
• Water upgrades don't come out of the general fund. Mayor Petriello and her Deputy Mayor recently alleged in a letter to the editor that the tax increase will, in part, cover the costs of upgrades to our township water plants that were started under the leadership of the previous town council. Again, what they leave out of this discussion is the fact that these upgrades and repairs will draw from our utilities fund and surplus, completely separate from the general fund on which the municipal budget draws. To say this tax increase is there to deliver clean water is an outright lie.
• Bonding is more affordable for the Township thanks to our solid bond rating. Moorestown Town Council was given 2 bond rating upgrades over the last four years thanks to the previous financial leadership of the Republican-controlled governing body, ultimately receiving a perfect AAA rating. Because of this, interest rates on long-term projects are lower than ever, meaning projects will ultimately cost less for the taxpayers. We can literally now afford to do more with less, yet the majority wants more anyway.
• Ratables (taxable properties) are up. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor argue that ratables are "sluggish," but this is simply false. Ratables were higher in 2018 than in 2017, meaning that even if council kept spending flat, your overall bill would have seen a slight decrease in real dollar amount.

For all of the above reasons, we could not in good conscience ask you, the people of Moorestown, to pay more of your hard-earned money towards taxes. We hope that next year, once the surplus grows yet again and the new majority begins to grasp the intricacies of municipal budgeting, that they will agree that our residents are taxed enough. Until then, we pledge to continue doing the job we were sent here to do and be a voice for every family in Moorestown.

Councilwoman Victoria Napolitano
Councilman Mike Locatell
Moorestown