Officials approve budget, with tax rate to come

Haddonfield commissioners held an in-person and online business meeting on July 28 to approve the 2025 municipal budget and present the Alvin R. Schomer Award for compassion, advocacy and leadership at Haddonfield Memorial High School.

The next step in the budget process is for the state and Camden County to certify the local tax rate. Tax bills will then be processed and mailed to residents, with a grace period for the third quarter. Details on that will accompany the billing notices. 

The commissioners also went over the results of a borough financial audit; there were no findings, recommendations or comments to report. 

Community member and 2025 high-school graduate Mo Nobel then received the Schomer award from the Haddonfield Human Relations Commission.

“This award recognizes individuals who have made meaningful contributions to their school, workplace or local community in ways that promote tolerance, inclusion and an understanding of human differences,” said commission member Corey Crumley.

Nobel was nominated by a school counselor, and Crumley specified some of their qualifications for the award. (Nobel uses they/them pronouns.)

“Mo was nominated … for their compassion, respect and empathy towards peers, their journey of self development and resilience and their leadership in the high school and the community,” Crumley explained.

Nobel is active in the school’s Gender Sexuality Alliance and drama club and mentors younger students as a counselor.

The public comment period of the commissioner meeting saw several questions and concerns about the borough’s telecommunications plan and other infrastructure updates, and what long-term health effects and overall impact they will have on residents. Some attendees suggested certain ordinances and precautions they would like to see put in place as the projects continue.

Commissioner Frank Troy responded to the concerns, explaining how the current telecommunications plan was constructed with the use of community polls about two years ago, and why borough officials feel the updates are necessary. 

“It goes into what’s called the hot spots in town,” he noted, “where you have better cell-phone coverage versus very weak cell-phone coverage, the different times of years, you name it.” 

Troy added that he feels it’s important for residents to review the borough’s telecommunications master plan – now on the borough website – so they better understand what the plan is and how decisions were made.

Bids have yet to go out for infrastructure contractors, though two are expected by the middle of fall.

The next commissioner work session is scheduled for Monday at 6:30 p.m. at borough hall and via Zoom. An additional joint special meeting between the commissioners and the board of education will address the Woodmont properties and the proposed PILOT program for them.