Burlington County: not affected by government shutdown

Reacting to residents’ inquiries, Burlington County Freeholder Director Joe Donnelly said that county government services will not be affected by the federal government shutdown in the near term, but expressed concerns that a continuation of the “Washington budget gridlock could spell disaster.”

Donnelly asked Burlington County residents to join with him in signing a petition urging Congress and the president to “end the stalemate,” and to pass a continuing resolution to restore government programs.

That petition can be found online at www.ipetitions.com/petition/tell-washington-to-do-their-job-and-end-the/, on the County Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BurlingtonCountyNJ, or by following Freeholder Donnelly on Twitter at @FreeholderJoeD.

“Burlington County continues to deliver the federally-funded services that the public depends on, but, so far, no one has been able to give us assurances that these services won’t be in jeopardy within the next couple of weeks,” Donnelly said. “The unfortunate reality is that we are talking about programs and services that impact the most vulnerable among us.”

“We need to send a strong message now, before we reach that breaking point,” Donnelly said. “We see this petition as the quickest way for a frustrated public to send a message to Washington and let all the inside-the-beltway players know we need them to get back to work and resolve their differences.”

County services supported by federal funding include a number of programs administered under the Department of Human Services, such as veterans’ services, family assistance, Meals on Wheel for homebound seniors, nutrition centers and housing programs. Programs related to public safety and security also receive federal support.

Meantime, County Clerk Tim Tyler also advised that residents can still submit applications for passports to his office, but said delays at federal processing centers were likely.

Residents with questions about county services can visit the website at www.co.burlington.nj.us or call (609) 265–5020.