Ciarrocca Doesn't Rule Anything In or Out on 2010 Budget

The main goal of the 2010 town budget will be to keep any tax increase within the four percent cap mandated by state law.

Councilman Mark Ciarrocca, who took over as chairman of the finance policy committee this year, said the committee will make revenue projecting its first project when it starts meeting next month to write the next budget. This will include reviewing final year end revenue from 2009 from the major sources including property taxes, parking fees, building permits and the municipal court. These numbers will be compared to the projecting set out in the 2009 budget and used to develop a revenue forecast for 2010. In developing a revenue projection, Ciarrocca and his budget writing colleagues will be working on the assumption that Gov. Chris Christie will be keeping state aid to municipalities flat in his budget proposal due to come out on March 1.

In terms of how the spending plan will proceed after the revenue projection is nailed down, Ciarrocca said the hope is not to see too many changes from the 2009 municipal spending plan.

"We always go in hoping to keep all levels the same as they are," Ciarrocca said.

Ciarrocca, who has served on the budget committee for several years, declined to comment on which areas of the budget could be subject to potential cuts during the committee's deliberations. He said he is keeping an open mind to the entire spending plan and that no options are on or off the table.

In terms of the decision last year to use surplus funds to fund revenue shortfalls in light of the national economic criss, Ciarrocca said it is yet to be seen if the town will need to dip into the remaining surplus funds to prevent another tax hike or cuts to services.

"We will be bound by our four percent cap," he said. "It will be the goal to keep it in the four percent cap."

A municipal government can petition the state Department of Community Affairs for a waiver of the cap if needed, but Christie has signaled that his community affairs commissioner will be less likely to grant waivers. The new governor has yet to name a community affairs commissioner in his cabinet.

Ciarrocca said one aim the committee is looking at for this year's budget is trying to use the spending plan to make town government more efficient.

A main point of contention in last year's budget process was the decision to ask uniformed personnel and the town's four public employee unions to change their vacation policies in order to save money for the town. During these negotiations the prospect of laying off uniformed personnel from the police and fire departments loomed over the town government, with representativs of the police and fire unions attending the Council meetings to make their presence felt.

Ciarrocca said that he would like to avoid any discussions that could involve the decision to lay off public safety officers as a result of the new spending plan.

"Coming from chairman of the public safety committee, that will be a measure of last resort," Ciarrocca said of uniformed personnel layoffs. "Given the concerns about traffic safety and break-ins, public safety is needed."