VOL. 65, NO. 24
Friday, June 12th, 2020
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Hopewell Borough adopts $3.3 million budget for 2020 By ANDREW HARRISON
Staff Writer
Hopewell Borough council members unanimously voted to adopt a $3.33 million budget to fund municipal operations for 2020. Council President C. Schuyler Morehouse, Councilman Chris Fossel, Councilman Ryan Kennedy, Councilman David Mackie, Councilwoman Samara McAuliffe and Councilwoman Debra Stuhler voted “yes” on the measure at a June 4 council meeting. Borough officials are expecting a reduction in revenue during 2020 due to the ongoing corona-
virus pandemic. “The 2020 budget anticipates a reduction in a variety of revenue sources (fees, permits, municipal court fines, interest, etc.). We have tried to factor those reductions into the budget, using best estimates/guesses in this unprecedented time,” said Michele Hovan, borough administrator for Hopewell. “We were able to offset those losses in revenue with reductions in expenditures throughout the budget combined with a slight increase in the use of surplus to keep the levy flat.” The borough is not cutting any specific services with the 2020 budget, Hovan said.
Hopewell Valley’s school district braces for loss in state aid By ANDREW HARRISON
Staff Writer
The coronavirus pandemic continued to alter school budgets when Gov. Phil Murphy announced a $335 million reduction in school aid from the proposed 2020 state budget. As the Murphy administration released specific figures on May 25, Hopewell Valley Regional School District was one of the districts receiving a reduction. The school district’s state aid will drop from $4.02 million to $3.73 million, a decrease of $291,000. According to district administration, they did foresee the pos-
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sibility of a loss in school aid due to the pandemic. “The district believed that a reduction in school aid would be made once the impact of COVID-19 was realized by the state. We believed a larger reduction would be announced and are still bracing for additional cuts over the summer,” Superintendent of Schools Thomas Smith said. “Until the appropriations act is signed, the revised state aid is not finalized. Should the reduction stand the district will have to address the $291,000 loss in state aid.” He added he is confident that small reductions in many areas can mitigate the current reduction they are facing. “For example, I am anticipating a reduced premium increase in property and casualty insurance due to COVID-19 similar to what people have been experiencing with their own insurance coverages,” Smith said. “No programs will experience a significant impact.” When the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education adopted the district’s $92.3 million budget for the 2020-21 school year in April, the budget proposed a reduction of four fulltime teachers (two from the K-5
“There is an expectation that some operational costs will decrease due to the cancellation of events, utilities for buildings and maintenance, etc.,” she said. Residential and commercial property owners are projected to pay a $1.99 million tax levy to support the 2020 budget. The budget does not include an increase in the municipal tax rate, which is expected to remain stable at 62.9 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The owner of an average home that is still assessed at $426,000 will pay $2,679 in municipal taxes to support the budget. Municipal taxes are one item
on a property owner’s total tax bill, which also includes school taxes and Mercer County taxes. The amount an individual pays in taxes is determined by the assessed value of his home and/or property, and the tax rate that is set by each taxing entity. The 2019 budget totaled $3.26 million. Residential and commercial property owners paid a tax levy of $1.99 million to support the budget. In the 2019 budget, officials used $271,000 from the surplus funds as revenue in the budget. For 2020, officials will use $304,000 from the surplus funds as revenue in the budget.
In addition to property taxes and funds from surplus, revenues in the 2020 budget are projected to include $657,000 in miscellaneous revenues and $170,000 in state aid. The borough’s appropriations for 2020 include: $578,000 in salary and wages, $520,000 in shared service agreements, $435,000 (debt service), $247,000 to sewer, $175,000 in capital improvements and $171,000 to insurance. Hopewell Borough’s budget covers the cost of providing public safety, general government, public works, salaries and wages, shared service agreements, and insurance.
Hundreds join March for Change rally in Pennington
PHOTO COURTESY OF CURTIS HOBERMAN
Hundreds of area residents attended the Pennington March for Change rally at the Pennington Municipal Building and Police Department on June 7.
level and two from Hopewell Valley Central High School), one administrative position and one secretary’s position. Smith said the district does not anticipate making additional staff reductions with the loss in aid. “At this time, we do not plan on making reductions to staff but will continue to monitor our class sizes and specific needs of students to determine the appropriate level of staffing for Sep-
tember,” he said. “We will be examining any request to replace retiring or leaving staff members closely as we normally do.” The district has established a Return to School Committee to deal with the potential additional costs of COVID-19 with the uncertainty of next year’s return to school. “We are identifying areas where additional costs may occur such as the purchase of personal
protective equipment, disinfectant products, additional materials for the support of remote learning should we have to continue with that in some format, transportation and food service,” Smith said. “As in standard operating procedure, we will continue to closely monitor our purchasing and look for savings and reductions that can help address areas where additional support is needed.”
Hopewell Township Committee releases statement on death of George Floyd
Members of the Hopewell Township Committee released a collective statement denouncing the death of George Floyd and calling for an end to racial injustice. “All of us on the Hopewell Township Committee are outraged by the murder of George Floyd. Like all of you, we have watched protests spread from Minneapolis to cities across the United States. Tens of thousands of people have protested peacefully. “In Trenton on May 31, a few opportunists decided to move from protest to destruction and
violence. As a result, residents woke on the morning of June 1 to see their city damaged. We recognize the need for change and understand this was far from an isolated incident. We support and honor those who protest peacefully, and we renounce opportunists who overshadow the desire for a better America for people of color by looting and burning. “Words spoken decades ago resonate today. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of
love.’ And Senator Robert Kennedy noted that when a person stands up for an ideal, acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, that person ‘sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.’ “We stand with black Americans. Killing black women and men has to stop. We look forward to working with other Hopewell Valley community leaders, especially leaders of color, to under-
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stand what each of us can do to work towards a fairer and more just United States for all people of color. “Finally, we thank Hopewell Township’s Police Department for supporting our neighboring communities in Mercer County as peaceful protests continue. We are grateful for their professionalism and their service to the community.” HOPEWELL VALLEY NEWS 100 Overlook Center 2nd Floor Princeton, NJ 08540 609-924-3244 Hopewell Valley News (USPS 250-300) is published twice a week by Packet Media LLC., 100 Overlook Center, 2nd Floor, Princeton, NJ 08540. Mail Subscription Rates The current Auto Renewal rate is $9.36 and is charged on a quarterly bases. The 1 year standard rate is $46.20. Mailed subscription rate is $77.18 for 1 year, $122.76 for two years, $177.37 for three years. Out-ofcountry rates available on request. All advertising published in Hopewell Valley News is subject to the applicable rate card, copies of which are available from the advertising department. The Packet reserves the right not to accept an advertiser’s order. Only publication of an advertisement shall constitute final acceptance. NM-00431796