At the Haddonfield Board of Commissioners meeting on June 23, the commissioners unanimously approved its 2026 budget and the budget for the Partnership for Haddonfield.
The general budget, as introduced, totals $25,005,957 in anticipated revenues and includes $1 million for road reconstruction and $1 million for capital projects authorized in the past year.
Before voting on the budget, Alex Davidson, the borough’s chief financial officer, went through a presentation breaking down the budget’s allocation.
For an average home in the borough, assessed at $542,896, taxes will increase by about $200.
A majority of taxes on homes are allocated to schools, followed by the county, municipality, library and open space.
Last year, the average assessed home was valued at $535,743.
The majority of the revenue for the budget comes from municipal taxes, around $16 million, followed by a $3.3 million in surplus funds, $1,185,000 in local revenue, $1,138,260 in library taxes, $1,043,058 in grants, $992,722 in state aid, $425,000 from construction permits, $420,001 from delinquent taxes and $192,762 from shared services.
For expenditures, the majority of the budget, 18%, is allocated towards public safety, followed by public works and landfill at 16%, general administration and utilities at 17%, employee benefits at 13%, debt services and capital projects at 8% each, pensions at 7%, uncollectible taxes and the library at 5% and liability insurance at 3%.
Increases to the budget fit into five different areas: trash contract increases, fuel price increase from “geopolitical events,” utility rate increases, “significant” health insurance increase and the mandatory minimum library tax increase.
For the increases to trash, Mayor Dave Siedell said that they are looking to get it under control through an ordinance that they passed on first reading later in the June 23 meeting.
That ordinance includes the limitation of bulk trash pick up along with the introductions new trash cans, either 96 or 64 gallons, that will be distributed out to all residents.
Siedell said that the change will help to make things more predictable when the borough goes out to bid for trash contracts.
“Haddonfield throws out a lot,” Siedell said. “And it’s unpredictable. So some of the things to make ourselves more conscious about our trash as well as to make the predictability when we are out to bid for trash contracts is to kind of create predictability around our solid waste … we’re creating options so that we can have predictable bids come back to us and not punish us just because we’re crazy with the amount of trash that we throw out.”
The commissioners also unanimously passed the budget for the borough’s business improvement district, run by the Partnership for Haddonfield.
Before approving it, Michael Marciante, the executive director of the Partnership, said that their budget is focused on providing more ways to bring people into the borough.
“This year’s budget is very much focused on the downtown experience and bringing in visitors to the business district as they experience some of the amazing events that they have lined up, including the America 250th celebration on July 3 as well as all the other events,” Marciante said. “We have about five to six more events that are meant to give people an experience.”
The Partnership also plans on using $18,000 in grant money from the Main Street New Jersey Program to improve wayfinding signs on Tanner and Chestnut streets.
Marciante said the vacancy rate fluctuates between four to six empty businesses.
No one from the public spoke one way or another about either budget.
All three commissioners said that they did not receive any correspondences from the public on either budget.
Alex Davidson (right) presents a breakdown of the borough budget.
