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Chatham Borough Presents Capital Budget
Tuesday, February 26, 2013 • 6:40am
CHATHAM BOROUGH, NJ - Chatham Borough’s capital budget, presented at the Monday, Feb. 25, Borough Council meeting, totaled $758,090.
Spread across eight departments, the largest portions of the budget will be allocated to the Department of Public Works and the engineering department.
DPW’s $307,200 budget allocation will cover road maintenance and micro-surfacing, the purchase of two 5-7 yard dump trucks with plow and spreader, a vibra plate compactor, gas pump repairs, 14 catch basin heads and gates and a DPW building generator. The engineering department’s $245,000 budget allocation will cover road resurfacing, drainage improvements, curb and sidewalk maintenance and pedestrian warning lights.
The Police and Fire Departments requested $65,200 and $25,590, respectively. The Police Department requested an additional $61,000 at the meeting for technology upgrades and expenses for the Office of Emergency Management Center’s relocation to the council chambers. Officials are still working to get a reduction in the final number. The upgrade promises the council and emergency workers the ability to gather and disseminate information in real-time to residents. Councilman James Collander, who was conferenced in via speaker phone, said he looked at the expense as “another layer of safety,” noting that it was the “essential thing to do.”
“Coming out of Hurricane Sandy, we’re feeling that it’s more of a must have,” said Councilman James Lonergan, acknowledging that the price was significant but that it was worth it due to the unstable weather patterns in the past few years.
The remaining budgets included Building and Grounds: $49,000; Sewer Processing: $34,500; Pool: $21,600; Vehicle Maintenance: $10,000.
According to Borough Administrator Robert Falzarano, $300,000 of the total capital budget will be offset by the cancellation of existing ordinances-$458,090 will go out for financing. This does not include 3 percent administrative charges of approximately $13,700.
The presentation and introduction of the 2013 municipal budget is scheduled for the March 11 Borough Council meeting followed by the adoption of the budget planned for the April 8 Borough Council meeting.
