By Lisa Coryell
HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP — Layoffs, furlough days and benefit cuts for municipal employees will be next up for discussion as the township committee continues whittling away at a proposed $20.6 million municipal budget that carries the first local tax hike in three years.
Assuming flat state aid this year, township taxpayers would see the municipal tax rate rise from 27 to just over 28 cents per $100 of assessed value if the spending plan is adopted as it now stands. That means the owner of a home assessed at the township average of $514,000 would pay $51.40 more in local property taxes this year.
But committee members anxious to avoid a tax increase are setting their sights on an area of the budget where the most significant savings are possible — employee salaries and benefits.
“Everything is on the table,” said Mayor Jim Burd. “We have to be sure the government is running efficiently.”
At a budget workshop on Monday committee members reviewed more than $300,000 in possible savings, including reductions in operating costs and cuts in services.
The committee approved almost all of them, including eliminating free bulky waste pickup for residents, estimated to bring $30,000 a year, increasing fees for liquor license renewals which would bring another $5,000, delaying the hiring of a deputy clerk and a police officer until the end of the year for a combined savings of $80,000, and eliminating a planned roadway striping for a savings of $65,000.
The committee chose not to cut items from roadway capital improvement program, saying delaying the investment in the roads would have long-term consequences. The committee did opt to forgo the purchase of a $28,000 police car and instead decided to purchase a hybrid SUV for $31,000 which, as a truck, could be purchased outside the operating budget cap.
But Committeewoman Vanessa Sandom likened these cuts to rearranging deck furniture on the Titanic.
“The reductions are good but in the long run they’re not enough to get us where we need to go in,” she said. “To really make ourselves solvent in the long run we have to start making cuts in the major area of cost in the budget — salaries and benefits.”
During the budget talks committee members have made oblique references to cutting employee salaries and benefits in the form of forced furlough days, consolidating positions or reducing the work week to four days. But no formal discussions have taken place.
Now, Burd says, the matter will be tackled at the next budget workshop, although the date has not been scheduled.
“Seventy-five percent of the municipal budget is salaries and benefits,” he said. “It’s definitely an area that has to be looked at.”
For their part, township employees have sat silently through several budget workshops, waiting for word on whether their positions will be up for cuts, consolidations or give-backs. They don’t speak during the public session to voice their concerns.
“I think they’re waiting to hear what we’re planning before they comment,” Burd said.
Weeks ago, one employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said sitting through the budget workshops is not easy.
“It’s disheartening to hear them talk about employee reductions and cutting the hours and salaries we’re all depending on,” the employee said. “Everyone works hard and is handling additional workloads.”
So far Sandom, who is up for reelection this year, is the only committee member to say she wants to avoid a tax increase at all costs.
Burd, Deputy Mayor Michael Markulec and Committeewoman Kim Johnson have all said they would support a modest increase if necessary. John Murphy, a Democrat, has not expressed his views on the matter.
“Of course we’re looking at the least possible increase, if any at all,” Burd said. “The danger of (making deep cuts to the budget to avoid a tax increase at all costs) is that in the long run you’re not a winner. Public safety suffers, public works suffers, services to the residents suffer.”
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