The Delran Township Council held its monthly work session Nov. 12 and approved several capital projects, including a new tractor and salt spreader and computer software updates.
According to Councilman Tyler Burrell, when the council formulates its yearly budget, it is actually made up of two allocations: a capital budget and an operating budget.
An operating budget consists of routine budgeted items such as electricity, postage or manufacturing costs. A capital budget is used to determine an organization’s long-term investments, such as new machinery, replacement of old technology and updated software.
“Capital budgeted items are typically larger and more expensive,” Burrell explained. “The capital budget allows for residents to pay for these items over an extended amount of time. This way it won’t hurt them.”
Among approvals at the meeting were:
The Delran Council approved the purchase of a Holland tractor for grass cutting to replace an extremely old, unsafe and costly tractor currently employed by Public Works. Also approved was the purchase of three new salt spreaders for the winter. For the police department, council approved the purchase of new body cameras, tasers and a traffic laser device to measure accident scenes.
The council also approved computer and network upgrades to comply with cybersecurity recommendations. They include updating work stations to Windows 10; Windows 7 will no longer be supported and will pose a security risk starting in January 2020.
“A lot of the areas in Delran are green-acre spaces and need large-scale mowers,” said Burrell. “The new truck will currently replace an unsafe and unreliable one that is often in the shop more than being used. At this point it made sense to purchase a new one.”
The police traffic laser device is a more efficient tool that can decrease road closure times, according to the councilman.
“It makes the investigation go smoother,” he noted. “Also the council will be replacing the remaining four tasers for the police department. In 2009, 11 tasers were purchased and they have since started to show their age. Seven have been replaced since 2017 and now we’re replacing the rest.”
For more information about the approved items, contact the township business administrator at the Delran Municipal Building. All of the purchases above are capital improvement items allocated in the capital budget.
