Borough amends budget

By ROBERT LINNEHAN | The Haddonfield Sun
Four months after it was initially passed, the commissioners unanimously approved an amendment to the 2009 municipal budget.
Borough Administrator Sharon McCullough said the amendment was needed because the state finally released its state aid figures. The borough will receive $1,256,918 in state aid for 2009, $42,000 less in aid than it did in 2008.
In 2008, the borough received $160,000 less in state aid than it did in 2007.
The commissioners were able to find an offset for the decrease in aid, she said, so the tax rate will not increase. Additionally, the borough received five grants, she said, which were also inserted into the 2009 budget.
The $13.8 million budget features a local purpose tax rate of 39 cents per every $100 of assessed property value. The rate was increased by 1.4 cents over the 2008 figure. For the average assessed home in the borough — $491,359 — the yearly tax bill will increase by about $70.
The municipal tax levy in 2009 will be a little more than $8.8 million, which is an increase of about $338,000 over the 2008 levy. However, it’s below the maximum 4-percent cap increase the state allows.
See this week’s print edition of The Sun for the full story.