For Immediate Release

PRESS CONTACT:  Stuart Brown, Township Manager
                                 (732) 583-4200, ext. 118

ABERDEEEN TOWNSHIP COUNCIL INTRODUCES MUNICIPAL BUDGET
WITH NO TAX INCREASE

            ABERDEEN TOWNSHIP (3/21/07)—At its public meeting last night, the Aberdeen Township Council formally introduced a $14.0 million fiscal 2007 municipal budget with no tax increase.  A public hearing on the proposed budget will be held on Thursday, April 19.

            “We were able to keep the municipal tax rate unchanged from fiscal 2006 primarily because sound financial management generated a 6% increase in miscellaneous revenues, including higher investment income resulting from the planned investment of reserves,” said Councilman Nick Minutolo. “Additionally, revenues benefited from increased collections of various fees, due in part to the implementation of credit card acceptance for payments of court fines and municipal fees.”

            Councilman Vincent Vinci noted that the expense side of the proposed budget seeks to maintain or improve the level of all resident services, while continuing efforts to enhance the maintenance and quality of the township’s recreation facilities. “Recreational improvements include the project at Fireman’s Field that incorporates additional parking as well as field improvements,” he said. “Other fields and basketball courts will also be improved.  In addition, we will continue our aggressive program to maintain and improve the quality of township roads.”

             Concurrently, the Council and the township’s professionals have worked to control and reduce a number of other costs, while maintaining or improving services by pursuing shared services in a number of areas.  “As one example, we reduced the cost of bus service for summer recreation programs by $10,000 by leasing bus services from the Board of Education,” Vinci reported. “Privatizing of grass cutting for our parks and other public spaces in 2006 also delivered substantial savings.” 

            Minutolo added: “We have also been working hard to minimize the impact of such budget items as state-mandated pension increases through efforts to control expenses in other areas.  For example, we  have kept employee health care costs in check through aggressive oversight of our self-insured plan along with proactive efforts to improve employee risk factors. Included in the effort to enhance risk factors was a smoking cessation program funded by a grant from the American Cancer Society.”

Councilman Joe Raymond concluded: “The Council and our professionals will continue to pursue all opportunities to keep controllable expenses in check, including the exploration of additional shared services, while maintaining or improving services to our residents.”