BERKELEY – The Township will borrow $10.6 million to finance police, fire, and first aid equipment, as well as a number of projects like road repair.
The total appropriation for all the projects is going to be $11,444,805. “Appropriations” equals the amount that the town is going to assign toward projects. It doesn’t mean that’s what’s getting paid. Sometimes projects come in under budget. Sometimes over budget. In either case, the Township Council has to review the bill.
Additionally, this appropriation includes money that isn’t coming from taxpayers. In this case, it’s a $200,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
The only money the town is paying right now is a $562,240 down payment.
The principal amount will be $10,682,565. That’s what will be borrowed in the form of municipal bonds.
All municipalities regularly borrow money to pay for projects. The philosophy behind this is that it is more manageable to make payments every year rather than pay a huge amount in one shot. Workers in the finance office keep an eye on interest rates. If they are low, they refinance existing debt to bring regular payments down.
The following are the amounts appropriated for each project:
- $206,500 for a Voice over Internet Protocol phone system, computers, software, and office furniture. According to the Federal Communications Commission, VoIP includes ways of communicating online.
- $1,228,713 is appropriated for improvements to police headquarters, including communications, replacing Police Channel #1, a mobile operations center, cameras, five squad cars, a quad/side-by-side vehicle, 911 software, a server, back-ups, computers, and other various items.
- $365,689 for a first responder vehicle, oxygen filling station, radios/portables – emergency medical services (EMS) channel, stretchers, and a new ambulance.
- $75,000 for a vehicle for animal control.
- $66,400 for furniture, equipment, a code enforcement inspection vehicle, and a Knox-Box System (which allows first responders to get into locked buildings) for the Department of Planning and Community Development.
- $960,000 for the Division of Sanitation and Recycling including a front load dumpster truck, a rear loader/garbage truck with plow, a robo garbage truck, and 1,400 robo cans.
- $940,000 for an elevator at Town Hall, the renovation of Lifeguard Headquarters, a downstairs kitchen at the Recreation Building, and various general building improvements for the municipal buildings.
- $61,003 for the Division of Equipment Maintenance, including a rotary lift, computer programs, hydraulic machinery, tools, a compressor; a scanner and scanner program, and an engine crane.
- $440,000 for the Division of Parks and Beaches, including a 4×4 utility truck with snowplow, the refurbishment of a pickup truck with new bed and accessories, a ride-on sweeper, rotary mowers, a wood chipper, tools and miscellaneous equipment, an enclosed special event/concert trailer, lightning detectors, and lifeguard stands.
- $1,809,000 for the Department of Recreation, including improvements to Veterans Park, security improvements to the Eastern Boulevard Complex, a recreation bus, a closed circuit monitoring system for parks and beaches, a pole barn at Veterans Park, various sports equipment, an enclosed trailer, replacement tables and chairs, surf rescue equipment and supplies, and a rescue and competition paddle board.
- $542,500 for equipment and upgrades for the three volunteer fire companies.
- $100,000 for equipment for the three volunteer first aid companies.
- $4,650,000 for road improvements (which includes the $200,000 DOT grant), for milling, overlay, dredging, draining, and other work for Castleton Drive.
