Mayor Dan Teefy says “March is big” for the township.
By Krista Cerminaro
The Monroe Township Council approved the introduction of the 2018 municipal budget at a meeting on Monday, March 26.
“I’m really excited with the fact that we’re not going to be changing the tax rate,” Councilman Cody Miller said. “Now, for some of our residents — because of the assessments — you will either see your taxes go up or taxes go down, but I know that the mayor is proud to say, and the budget committee is proud to say, that on our end, our municipal tax rate will not be changing.”
“It’s always about stabilizing your taxes,” Mayor Dan Teefy said. “So, I think coming in this year at a 0 percent increase, from the municipal side, is a very good thing for us, and it’ll help us over the next three to four years.”
The 2018 municipal budget shows a sum of $38.4 million for both total general revenues and total general appropriations.
Anticipated local municipal tax revenue for 2018 is roughly $23.3 million.
Appropriations for 2018 include roughly $14.5 million in operating expenses such as salaries and wages, $14.6 million in other operating expenses, $3.3 million in deferred charges and other appropriations, $689,000 in capital improvements, $2.6 million in debt service and $2.5 million reserve for uncollected taxes.
Approximately $3.7 million in surplus is being used out of the township’s fund balance to supplement the budget, according to business administrator Kevin Heydel.
“What happens is, there’s a lot of times where maybe your revenue at the end of the year is either more or less than what you projected,” Heydel said. “If it’s more, what happens is that extra goes into what they call a fund balance, that fund balance you use to help supplement your budget in the next year.”
A public hearing on the budget and tax resolutions will be held on April 23 at 8 p.m., and copies of the budget are available at the municipal building, located at 125 Virginia Ave. in Williamstown.
Additionally, Miller discussed approved resolution R: 82–2018, a resolution of the Monroe Township Council to adopt the Market to Affordable Program guidelines with the uniform housing affordability controls for Monroe Township.
“One of the programs we’re implementing tonight, it’s the Market to Affordable Program — this is great for the township. We are going to be using our trust fund dollars to work with Triad to acquire and rehab some of these properties. Based on a variety of different factors, Monroe has an obligation in terms of affordable houses in the township, based on fair share housing. So, what we have done is entered into a partnership with Triad to work to provide these homes for low- to moderate-income people. So, we’re going to be using those dollars to rehab some of these properties,” Miller said. “This is going to be a benefit for the township — we’re going to be providing affordable housing to our residents, and we’re also going to be rehabbing these units.”
“I think there is a misconception out there about affordable housing — a lot of people view it as people that really don’t deserve to be buying houses cheap,” President Rich DiLucia said. “In reality, I view it as a great opportunity for the younger people that are coming out of school — particularly coming out of college with big student loans, enough to choke anybody — that will be given an opportunity, in many instances, to settle in Monroe Township, to buy a house, be able to live there in an affordable manner, and be a good, productive citizen of this town.”
“The dollars that we’re spending are the dollars we’ve collected for developments that have gone in, commercial businesses that have gone in and paid a 1.5 to 2 percent fee for COAH [Council on Affordable Housing],” Teefy added.
Teefy also mentioned the possible implementation of a TNVR program — trap, neuter, vaccinate and return — that would help to reduce the population of stray cats.
Additionally, Teefy and other council members commended the units that worked together during the snowstorms, including police, fire, public works and EMS personnel.
“I can’t thank those guys enough [for] the hours they put in,” Teefy said, noting 642 people were still without power as of Friday, March 23. “They did an outstanding job.”
The council also announced the grand reopening of Geets Diner on Saturday, March 24 — which Teefy described as the township’s “landmark” — as well as congratulated Williamstown native Carly Moffa on receiving a golden ticket to Hollywood on “American Idol,” on Sunday, March 25.
“March is big — we’ve been saying it for about a year now, ‘breweries are going to open, they’re getting close.’ Well, they did open — one opened on Thursday night, March 8. That was 13th Child. And the Cross Keys brewery opened on the 9th, that Friday night. Both places were packed, good beer and just a wonderful time for everybody,” Teefy said. “There’s like a buzz in town.”
