Borough

The following message, from Mayor Neal Rochford, was posted on the Borough’s Facebook page on December 31.

This year has been like no other. No one could have expected our lives and our way of living to change so rapidly, the way it did with the Covid-19 virus: schools closing, businesses interrupted, widespread unemployment, sports, and an entertainment shut down. Also a byproduct of the pandemic: social isolation and families that cannot see one another.

At the borough, us commissioners had to take drastic action to preserve services that are vital to our resident’s well being. Police, fire, EMT’s service, trash collection, storm remediation, borough hall services, and the library needed to continue. Our borough employees were instrumental in keeping services ongoing. With their cooperation, the borough has been able to meet our goal to serve our residents despite the many hurdles presented by Covid-19. The borough will continue to preserve vital services during the pandemic.

In the next year, I expect the first quarter to be challenging. The virus will continue to infect large numbers until the new vaccines take hold. Please continue to follow mask rules, hand washing recommendations, and social distancing. I urge everyone to obtain the vaccine when it becomes available to you. I would take the vaccine today if I could, however, I will not do so until our police, fire, EMTs, and public works crews receive the vaccine first.

Heartfelt thanks to so many individuals and families who have stepped up to volunteer and help out others. There have been many initiatives from our residents to assist others that need help during the pandemic with food, clothing, and services. Your support of the business district has been instrumental in keeping shops and restaurants open. Another group that deserves recognition are our families with school-age children and educators who have had to transition to a remote learning model. You are awesome for adapting to a new model of teaching.

Let’s make 2021 the year of normal again. In the spirit of positivity, share something that you are grateful for. I’ll start by saying that I am grateful to serve our borough and for all the volunteers that make this town great. Wishing you and your families a Happy New Year!

A special meeting of the Haddonfield Board of Health will be held on Tuesday, November 24 qt 8:30pm, or directly following the scheduled meeting of the Board of Commissioners, whichever is later.

To register to attend the virtual meeting, go HERE.

The Board of Commissioners released the following statement with respect to the Bancroft property on Wednesday, October 13.

The Board of Commissioners has spent several months communicating with Two Hopkins Lane Urban Renewal, LLC (“2HL”), the designated redeveloper of the Bancroft site, in an effort to spur the productive re-use of the Bancroft site.  2HL has recently submitted site plans for the Bancroft site, seeking approvals to construct a proposed redevelopment project consistent with the terms of the redevelopment plan and redevelopment agreement between the Borough and 2HL.  

The filed site plans (the “2HL Plans”), which are on file within the Community Development Office, are nearly identical to those submitted in 2019. The 2HL Plans will be made public on the Borough website once deemed complete in accordance with applicable land use laws, and may also be obtained by residents via request pursuant to the Open Public Records Act (“OPRA”).  Importantly, the 2HL Plans will be subject to multiple public hearings. The 2HL Plans were already under review by the Historic Preservation Commission (“HPC”) back in 2019, when the review process was halted due to litigation. HPC will now convene a sub-committee to re-examine the 2HL Plans this fall. After appearing before HPC and receiving their Certificate of Appropriateness from the Planning Board (“PB”), 2HL will then apply to the PB for site plan and subdivision approvals. The Borough anticipates that the Planning Board will hear the 2HL Plans during the fourth quarter of 2020.

As always, the Board of Commissioners will continue to pursue the productive re-use of the Bancroft site in a manner beneficial to the residents of the Borough, and will provide regular updates to the public moving forward.

The page on the Borough’s website titled “Bancroft Site – Redevelopment Plan” may be accessed HERE.

Five Haddonfield residents have filed an ethics complaint against Commissioner Jeffrey S. Kasko.

The complaint alleges that as he was being arrested, following an incident outside his home in February 2019, Kasko improperly “attempted to use his official position as elected commissioner to secure more favorable treatment from the Haddonfield Police Department” by asking an officer at the scene to allow him to speak with the police chief.

The complaint, which was filed with the Local Finance Board, claims Kasko’s request violated a state law that prohibits the use of an official position to secure “unwarranted privileges or advantages.” The board is part of the NJ Department of Community Affairs. Kasko is Haddonfield’s Commissioner of Revenue & Finance, and serves also as deputy mayor.

Among those filing the complaint were two former mayors, John J. Tatditi Jr. and Letitia G. Colombi.

The five residents allege that Kasko made “a clear attempt to utilize his position as an elected official in an attempt to obtain from the chief more lenient treatment than he was receiving from [a police officer at the scene].”

Kasko was charged with ten offenses, among them aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, reckless driving, and leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage. After being arrested, he was taken to Camden County Jail and was held overnight. In May 2010 he was admitted to a pretrial intervention program.

The Borough Commissioners will host a conversation on affordable housing and what it means in our community on Monday, August 24, 2020 at 7pm.

To register on Zoom in advance, go HERE.

Meeting ID: 825 1860 9356

Passcode: 029134

The Borough will conduct an auction of abandoned, unclaimed bicycles on Saturday, October 17.

The auction will take place at the Public Works facility, 555 Centre Street.

Items to be auctioned may be inspected from 8am, for one hour. The auction will begin at 9am.

During their regular meeting on August 17, 2020, the Borough commissioners introduced the municipal budget for 2020.

The budget proposes total expenditure of $19,181,684.00, of which $12,232,816 will be raised through property taxes. The proposed local purpose tax rate is 0.5284 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation.

For the owner of a property assessed at the borough average of $ 488,481, local purpose taxes will be $2,581, an increase of $26 over last year’s taxes.

Two other examples:

• Property value = $ 244,241. Taxes = $ 1,291. Increase = $14.
• Property value = $ 732,722. Taxes = $ 3,872. Increase = $40.

Local purpose (municipal) taxes represent a little over 17% of the total property tax bill.

Apart from employee salaries, benefits, and pension payments ($8,634,733), which make up 47% of the budget, the largest expenditures include stormwater improvements ($2,995,000) and the Borough’s annual road program ($2,240,000).

The Budget Recapitulation document is available HERE.

A public hearing on the budget will be held during the Commissioners’ regular meeting on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, after which the Commissioners may vote to adopt.

The Haddonfield Zoning Board of Adjustment will meet, courtesy of Zoom, on Tuesday, August 18 at 7:30pm.

You can join the meeting HERE.

The meeting ID is 860 6229 8883.

Password: 626524

Access the agenda HERE.

The Borough commissioners will hold a regular work session on Monday, August 17 at 4pm.

To attend virtually, register in advance HERE. Access the agenda HERE.

They will hold a regular meeting on Monday, August 17 at 7pm. The agenda will include the annual municipal budget.

To attend virtually, register in advance HERE. Access the agenda HERE.