No Township Tax Rate Hike 2 Years Straight, Officials Say

Cherry Hill’s budget is doing something almost unheard of at the municipal level.

It’s shrinking.

Introduced at $64.7 million Tuesday night, the 2013-2014 budget slashes a half-million dollars off last year’s version and keeps taxes flat for the second straight year, which Mayor Chuck Cahn hailed as a major achievement.

“Cherry Hill is on solid financial ground,” he said. “This budget is the result of efficient and effective management and smart fiscal policies.”

A sizable chunk of the savings this year comes from slashing debt service—two refinancing deals in the last year will save the township a total of close to $3 million, officials said.

Another portion of the savings comes from grant funding for various programs and services around the township, officials said.

But the budget isn’t all about cuts, Cahn said—$8.3 million is being set aside for capital improvements this year, including $3.45 million for road maintenance, $2 million for sewer system upgrades and $570,000 for parks and recreation.

“My goal is to continue keeping taxes stable, make smart investments in our future and provide Cherry Hill residents with the best possible programs and services,” Cahn said.

Though there wasn’t any opposition to the budget itself, several of the Republican township council candidates raised concerns over an ordinance that went in hand with the budget, which allows the township to exceed the 2.5-percent budget increase limit set by the state, claiming it violates the spirit of the law.

“Banking additional funds for one year to save them next year so that you wouldn’t exceed the cap next year…I think is, as I said, not to the spirit of the law,” Dr. Stephen Cohen said. “If you wanted to exceed the cap in any one year, I think there’s a provision to go back to the citizens of the town and ask for a relief.”

But township officials disagreed, noting the ordinance is in line with what’s allowed under state law.

“It doesn’t mean that it gives you a blank check,” said Lenore Rosner, the township’s business administrator. “It is an ability to bank those unused funds so that in future years you don’t have highs and lows.”

While it’s been introduced, the full budget isn’t yet going to be released to the public—the full version will be available a month from now, when it’s released at the township clerk’s office, the Cherry Hill Public Library and the Camden County Library’s Voorhees branch on Sept. 19.

The budget will be up for public hearing and final adoption on Sept. 26.