Lower Proposes Hikes To Offset $1M Shortfall

VIILLAS – With a $1 million shortfall in revenue predicted by the mayor for next year’s budget, Lower Township Council intends to raise fees for zoning and planning board applications, Recreation Department fees, campground site fees, liquor license renewals, rental unit and boat slip mercantile licenses.
Council has given the matter more thought since an Aug. 2 meeting, and reduced the proposed fee hikes by an average of about 50 percent.
With Gov. Chris Cristie’s 2 percent cap on raising property taxes coming next year, Lower Township needs additional revenue sources to prevent cuts in services or layoffs.
Councilman Tom Conrad questioned raising recreation fees, which he said would only raise $7,750 in additional revenue. A proposal calls for $5 increases across the board for registration fees for cheerleading, soccer and basketball and a $10 increase for football.
Conrad said he feared some children would be “pushed out” of recreation programs because their parents could not afford an extra $5.
Deputy Mayor Kevin Lare concurred with Conrad. He said participants in recreation programs also had to spend $50 for a jersey. He noted 50 percent of elementary school students in the township received free or reduced price lunches.
Mayor Michael Beck said a $1 million shortfall meant job layoffs.
“When you have 3.5 and 4 percent raises coming at you and you have a 2 percent cap, it just doesn’t fit,” he said. “We can’t raise that kind of money through the tax levy that would cover all of the obligations we have.”
During public comment, resident Joe Winter said if parents could afford a pack of cigarettes, they could afford an extra $5 in recreation fees for their children.
Sheri Hemingway, president of the Lower Township Chamber of Commerce, questioned instituting a fee to pick up trash for businesses. Currently, there is no fee. The proposed fees would be $125 per year for 30-yard roll off containers, $70 per month for businesses with two to four rear-load dumpsters and $35 for businesses with regular cans.
She said her business did not need trash pick up. Hemingway said businesses that use roll-off containers should contract with a private trash hauler, which would save the township tipping fees at the landfill.
At the Aug. 2 meeting, Public Works Director Gary Douglass said charging a fee to businesses could generate almost $100,000 per year.
Township Manager Kathy McPherson said there were 50 businesses using regular trashcans in the township and 157 using dumpsters on a seasonal basis. She said eliminating business trash pick up would save about $75,000 per year.
Beck said council would gather more information on business trash collection before acting.
Proposed fees: campground sites: $6 each, mobile home park sites: $75, boat slip fees: $8 each, rental units: $75 each and hotel/motel rooms and apartments: $6 each.