that's it that's all you got to do you're done thank you sorry under the [Music] impression from and be minutes we get this started States stands na indiv andice um Mr Woods here thank you this meeting is being New Jersey open public meetings act advertise retrospect all official social media channels uh you have cell phone silent speak business so outside council chambers first time visit even public the meeting speak top address record again um so I haven't been to a budget meeting I figured being early as week um I just want to thank you very much for your support in the past um theing team has been meeting every month we're very active gr I would say our meetings we have like six to 10 people sometimes so it's fun do flips so you're saying we should move our meting those could be so I'm very edified by the support of the community and then since we're at every farmers Market I think right now I have a cc that I put out with all my emails and I think we're up to like maybe 15 friends R te they haven't come to meetings but I feel like you know when we get to Point work we're doing is we need volunteers that will will be good um just the synopsis of some of the things that we used the money for one big one a couple two years ago were all the long beef bags that we delivered we delivered to I thought was really effective they have that likeing green p on it that reminded people of the policies that every SE a lot of people see forgotten about um just from my going around town just doing things on yard pick up day it seems to have worked pretty good um and I hope it's saving the town some money you know some labor um and there's a lot on the left said they were all picked up you know we advertised they here and you know had outside the Imp entrance and I think that um you know they all went pretty quickly uh this is St Merchantville newsletter one just SP out in town you know it's an opportunity for the town to kind of promote itself as a sustainable community and also organizations Town who also do a lot stand with I kind of look at it this an umbrella organization not just an organization that does its own thing we collaborate with the Shady Tree the our tree saing giveaway that we recently had we were involved with that and just in the future I'm hoping since we've had several grants through sustainable Jersey as a certified BS Community uh we were eligible for Grants we've gotten several and we've completed one uh other was the most complete that the next Grant application we're going to ask for $10,000 instead of $2,000 in once they see that losing money and we're completing the projects uh that will be more light gets and if there's also any grants D come you know there's something that maybe you don't have time to do and you think it's related to sustainability sended our way and sleep and it's all on behalf of like none of us is in green team we have to submit grants through Denise all right thank you at [Music] 7:36 um okay uh anyone else in public all right here in scene we'll move on from the public portion of the business will'll go through old business there is on new business resolution to be approved during the cus meeting resolution 247 the4 budget um Mr so uh as you know we're ining a little late this year we playing through it so walking into last year was a pretty rough budget year uh walking into this year we knew it was going to be a difficult year and you see potentially next year also why uh it boils down to our Deb uh we had a number of projects that we were undertaking we held those in temporary bonds uh the as everyone knows the interest rates blew up so we were holding at was a 2% uh temporary rate jumped up to about 9% so that interest and when you have an interest on the attainment do one that uh that basically C up a lot of the debt so we need to move to buy down that debt and prepare ourselves to permanently finances and get us down to raise around uh 4 5% and then so you'll see a lot of push to uh probably hold off some Capital spending until you know rates come maybe come back down or we just see what the new the new normal is the reality is what the rates are right down what they've traditionally been across the US uh inter PR so so that's kind of where we're at so walking into the budget year we were looking at a $15 a month increase for every taxpayer every household taxer here in the town uh and that was without adjusting or moving anything in any direction and so the initial thing we did with the budget was if you didn't spend it last year you didn't get it this year so we went line by line went things the lines of every different uh budget of every different department and what they did and Bas were like okay you know what was not spend you know something specific that's coming up that you need if not you know holding off what we're the other thing is we also thought was really important that we buy down the debt so we're buying down about $130,000 of our debt in in a slug this year uh that will actually save us quite a bit and then we'll per Finance the balance of it next year so and there's a couple things in there then in three years in 2027 uh there's a substantial amount of our permanent debt that's already been bonded actually gets paid off and it's reled released from the the budget up quite a bit uh leing the budget but that's up until 2027 we have to give it 3 the other thing also we were banking on this year inition was that the the jining in town uh didn't open uh when we thought they were open so there was no Revenue so even though there was Revenue this year that we're just starting to collect now the way how the rules are for budgeting I I can't anticipate that revenue for next year's budget soal even though we have a new Revenue line coming in you can't there's nothing called inory Revenue it's only Revenue that you booked in the prior year that you utilize this year so it really hits you so when you lose Revenue it really hits you twice as hard uh the other thing that also happened was you lost the revenue from the vac and B props that was almost 30 plus thousand uh so it's a hit to the budget I will tell you the Court's actually did a little bit better this year so overall but still not nearly where we need where we need to be in order to kind of you know take us out of any Tye of hole so that's kind of where it was at so that said uh we thought it was important to buy on the debt the other thing you also recognize is a lot of our employees in a lot of different departments across the the burrow are probably not paid appropriately then I say problema I me are not paid ably for the work they do uh particularly in light of inflation and the rate at which salaries have dropped over the last couple years to keep up with inflation we haven't been doing that trying by doing some floods here and there but it's one of the reasons why we have finding a difficult to find employees as they retire and so we need to get our salaries more in line with what other mentalities are paying and where they're at we just can't move up as quickly as everybody else and so knowing that we actually made some adjustments to anyway this year uh and so with that we are looking at a $30 month increase uh to the town with the municipal portion of the budget which will come out to about $360 uh over the course 12 the 12 months so looking at the average property in the burrow uh $360 increase obviously some will be more some will be less but that be looking at for the municipal side of the budget so Bas come down almost a dollar a day so it's an extra dollar day in light of the inflation where we have on the inflation rate I don't think that's necessarily a bad a bad number for where we at over but it is if we want to keep the small town we have and maintain our services we're going to have this this kind of where we need to be at we yeah and um look I I'll add that I know Anthony and Dan went through a lot of work working with each of the Departments to come up with budgets to to try and work things out and but Anthony said to me after he had done that was we need to go have a number of drinks at the Blue Monkey uh because this is going to be very difficult and um it was very difficult but we did stay true one we felt it was important and prudent to buy down the debt uh given the interest rates now and spend more money on that we and I'll gladly say this we are only required by the bank to spend $225,000 buying down that debt this year and we are spending $100,000 130 to buy down that debt because it is the impact to us from just the cost Associated was more than 130 a year right uh so we you know difficult decision and then as Anthony said we we can't pay our employes like like a lot of other communities and but we thought it's important given the changes in the world uh that try to do something for them and show them that we are we do see we are listen so we made a commitment to them uh the best that we could this year in a responsible manner um and I think for a dollar a day for the average homeowner um in this community to keep up the services that we have not cut employees not cut Services uh not I think to budget imprudently by not buying them at basic the can down Road I think it was it was as good result as we can get and I thank everybody that said think also rep that come out that said that said even then the Curr tax the middle part of tax what yeah there's also something else about the r that we not done a rebound there was a rebound we would cut probably by at least half based on the valuation people's homes are time you know so experienc so that that was part of so I'm looking at when I look at the overall rate I'm saying okay I see the rate I rapid it's not it's not adjustment for inflation for the you know for a penny really should raising almost 100 Grand raising $25,000 so you know it doesn't really doesn't really quite and I will say this that's when when Amy and I started looking at it we s stuff on on the that's how we would that's how that's how everyone wants to judge you but when we broke it down I'm like wait a second it's $30 a month6 broke my mind I was I was fix on the idea that our property values are out of line yeah right now it's just I think compe remember you were purposely invest Investments after years not slow that buy years just spending a million you know so I feel good on the decisions that's what you know I get beat up over this I'll motion to move a resolution 2427 first second by Mr any discussion on thetion roll please Mr Fitzgerald Mr M yes yes mrno yes Mr yes Mr wood yes thank you very much next ordinates that need to be introduced this evening this is for instuction first reading consider for adop public hearing 17 24 second any discussion on the bo 2405 I think no discussion had happens I think you need to break expect this one right now just making sure making sure you know compe fure and knowing that we have a lot oflo getting CL we're not to but as we think about that I mean it's lot more expensive to go out to hire people to try to keep so we have to kind keep that in mind as next I think if we move forward in our budgeting and look the other part about budgeting which is fun is that you can only increase so much year to year that you're limited and you have to make ensure there's sufficient capacity to continue to fill the position that you need to fit um and well that's going to be difficult because we do not have a large position to begin with where you can cultivate a number of positions from within uh and move them through the ranks um look we've struggled with this with our police forers and we've gotten to a good place I think with the ranks and movement to give people some upward Mobility uh but we just don't have you know four Deputy Clerks or or you know you know three Deputy Court administrators or whatever the position that requir you you just don't have those things sitting around here where you can say okay there's an air parent it's already budgeted internally you sort of just play that game we're you're right we need not just the salary but just with our budgeting all together we need to anticipate that stuff and maybe some of you know as Mr perno said earlier the the drop off of permanent financing debt in 2027 um at that time you know and I'll say this people are going to say well we should be reducing taxes and the reality is maybe we aren't because maybe we going to have to make sure line have enough money so that we can make replacement with employees that are good to continue to provide services to our residents brought the they 30% home we have a motion and a second any other discussion on the ordinance Please Mr Mr M yes Mr moral yes Mr K yes yes okay [Music] um we will have a resolution uh on the next meeting for uh budget adoption and ordinances 244 be inod on Monday and 245 um both for adoption on the June 17th meeting uh any other matters that are need to be brought up just reminding you about the picture and I'll send a text reminding everyone for next Thursday and uh weend for 150th events if you have any questions about what you're supposed to do or where you're supposed to be then okay still on Saturday Satur [Music] decision pretty much we're going okay Full Speed Ahead all right and we next50 years here Denise not going to be here 15 All rights thank you very much everybody thank you everyone any