Council tables municipal budget

The Evesham Township Council has tabled the adoption of the 2013 municipal budget, again.

The decision was made based on the lack of support shown for state Senate bill 1896, which would make other entities responsible for tax appeal losses. The movement of the bill has been the motive to hold off on making decisions on the budget since the first discussion in March.

Mayor Randy Brown is determined to make the Evesham Township School District, the Lenape Regional High School District and the fire district discuss a possible resolution through freezing August payments due to the organizations.

“I think the structure of which we’re asked to collect taxes is broken,” Brown said in July. “What I want to know is what they will do to help fix it.”

The council has tabled introducing the 2013 municipal budget numerous times, including at last month’s meeting.

The proposed budget includes a municipal tax increase of $59 per year for the average assessed home of $271,200, which Brown is attempting to rectify before finalization of the tax increase.

“If we were to get wholly reimbursed, we wouldn’t have a tax increase,” Brown said.

Currently, the township has to pay out $1.5 million in tax appeals, according to Brown, and is working on a temporary budget based on the 2012 adopted budget.

If the township does not move to adopt the budget on the state’s timeline, someone will be sent in to determine a budget for the township, Bob Nehilla of Bowman Accounting Firm said at the June meeting.

According to Brown, the bill has not had any movement in the Senate.

Sen. Jeff Van Drew has refused to create any committees to work on the bill, Brown said.

“I exchanged some text messages with one of the players up in Trenton, and I asked very simply: ‘any idea if we can get Sen. Van Drew to post the bill,” Brown said. “The response I got was ‘going to be tough, doesn’t seem to have support.’”

According to Brown, when he asked what the problem was, the unidentified texter responded with “I don’t know.”

“They’re not voting on it, they’re not introducing it, but they don’t know what the problem is,” Brown said.

According to Brown, the township is waiting for an answer from the local finance board to ask to borrow for the township’s debt “that’s not ours.”

Both Lenape Regional High School District and the Evesham Township Board of Education are willing to partner with the township on the matter. Both submitted letters to the state board of education commissioner requesting partnership with the township.
“If they’re not allowed to partner with us, we need to make a decision on the short term,” Brown said.

The council is slated to make a decision on the budget at the Aug. 20 meeting.

In other news:
Council passed a resolution amending the list of roads slated for the improvement project.

Raymond Avenue, Lakeshore Drive, Sycamore Avenue, Willow Ridge Road, Troth Road, Albany Road, Columbia Drive, Hamilton Road and Westerly Drive were all approved for the improvement project.

The next township council meeting is scheduled for Aug. 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the municipal building.