Township Introduces Budget; Honors Kirk as Employee of Month

COURT HOUSE –Middle Township Committee introduced its 2015 budget at the March 16 meeting. The budget contains no increase in the tax levy and even a slight decrease in the local tax rate given a rise in valuations across the township. “Everyone worked very hard to achieve this budget goal,” Mayor Timothy Donohue said.
The local tax levy is expected to bring in $12.3 million, which is the same as last year. That amount represents about 60 percent of total forecasted revenues in the budget of $20.3 million. The tax rate is 45.2 cents per $100 of assessed value. Business Administrator Connie Mahon commented on the diligent efforts of the township departments that contributed to this budget.
The budget makes greater use of the surplus than did the previous budget. It uses $1.7 million of the current $2.2 million surplus to fund the 2015 budget. As in previous years, unexpended budget dollars will be returned to the surplus. The 2015 budget anticipates recovering the surplus dollars used to fund the budget over the course of the year.
John Clifford, township chief financial officer, said that one of the hardest aspects of putting the budget together was the previous tendency to lump funds in “buckets” rather than detail them for specific purposes.
The past year saw a major overall in the finance department. An outside review of the department found a heavy reliance on manual bookkeeping and lack of use of budget line items that would normally tie expenditures to specific rather than general purposes.
Clifford said the 2015 budget will give the departments “greater accountability” for funds. “There is no longer a big pot of money” allocated to a department, he said. Putting the budget together, however, did demand a “lot of hard work” teasing numbers out for line items from previous years.
Employee of the Month
Committee continued its ongoing employee recognition program with Public Works Department’s Rita Kirk honored as employee of the month.
Donohue cited the fact that the township is the eighth largest municipality in the state in terms of square miles. This presents the Public Works Department with a tremendous challenge, he said. The department “does a great job,” Donohue added, and “Rita is a great part of that success story.”
Kirk spent 17 years in the Finance Department before moving to Public Works four years ago. Kirk is the administrative secretary in the department. In that role she coordinates daily assignments for the department crews and handles residents’ calls about issues that need resolution.
Donohue called the award “a well-deserved recognition.”
Atkinson’s Tavern
Atkinson’s Tavern, a popular restaurant and bar, has been a fixture on Route 9 in Court House for many years. The tavern was recently sold and the township committee approved the transfer of the license to 9 South Bar & Restaurant, LLC.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.