Tabernacle looks at shared court service

By Katrina Grant

Tabernacle Township Committee and the mayor invited the Mayor William Kochersperger of Pemberton Borough to this week’s meeting and said they would like to move forward with a shared service for the courts with Pemberton Borough. The court would stay in Tabernacle andwould retain its full staff.

Kochersperger approached Tabernacle earlier in the month with the suggestion for the shared service. Mayor Kim Brown was not sure of the total benefits to the township, but knows the shared service will not cost the taxpayers.

“It is unsure of exactly how much revenue this will produce for the township,” Brown said. “We know we will be operating in the black, but we don’t want to speculate how much that will be. We are still working on the terms of our agreement with Pemberton Borough, but we are certain that this will not cost our taxpayers and will produce some additional revenue to the township.”

In other action at the meeting, Brown presented David Bakely with a proclamation for his 15 years of service to the township. Bakely has been the Plumbing Subcode Official and Plumbing Inspector in the township for the past 15 years and is now retiring.

Brown then presented several residents with certificates of recognition for the work they did for Tabernacle Volunteer Day.

“These volunteers are worth their weight in gold,” Brown said. “They are the backbone of Tabernacle Volunteer Day.”

Eileen Baitzel was sworn in as deputy municipal clerk. Her husband was with her when she took her oath of office.

The township has moved into the ninth legislative district, and Brown said she reached out to the representatives. The township was redistricted after the 2010 census and the redistricting took place statewide earlier this year.

When the meeting opened up for public comment resident Fran Brooks asked if ecological situations were going to be taken into account when the township sets the speed limit for an area on Carranza Road. She said that many turtles and snakes had been killed by passing drivers, and she hoped that the township would take them into consideration when deciding on the speed limit.

Also, in statewide news, Gov. Christie signed a law that would require state workers to pay more toward their pension and health benefits. Two days after the meeting, Brown was contacted about the legislation and said could not comment on how the issue would affect Tabernacle Township. She is waiting for the state to send additional information about the law.

“The township is unsure of the impact at this point, because we have received no information from the state on the specifics of this bill,” Brown said. “We will know better once the state forwards the information on to the township.”