Cherry Hill goes green to save on taxes

When Cherry Hill sent out its tax bills this summer for the new fiscal year, many property owners went into sticker shock: The municipal-tax portion had gone up 21.5 percent.

The township hiked taxes after cuts in state aid and increases in health benefits, utilities and contractual obligations, just like almost every New Jersey municipality.

Due, in part, to environmental initiatives undertaken by the township government, tax bills for the second half of the fiscal year, which begins in January, now are expected to show a slight reduction.

Township officials hope that their "green" initiatives eventually will save Cherry Hill's 70,000 residents even more of the other kind of green.

"Everything we're doing is based on conservation," said Dan Keashen, a spokesman for Mayor Bernie Platt. "It's common sense."

Immediate savings have come from RecycleBank, the recycling initiative that began township-wide on July 1. The program triggered increased recycling participation and lowered landfill fees by $200,000 in the current fiscal budget, said Deborah Campbell, Cherry Hill's chief financial officer.

That may translate into just $7 annual tax savings on a home assessed at $140,000, but there are other benefits. The recycling containers are outfitted with bar codes that track residents' usage: The more they recycle, the more "points" they earn for use at area businesses. So far $1.1 million in credits have been distributed.

"People are now being paid to recycle," Keashen said.

Other green initiatives that officials say will yield savings include a mayoral directive to shut down employee computers at the end of each day, a plan to replace broken appliances with those certified as energy-efficient, the consolidation of township newsletters and the installation of a solar panel on town hall.

The township is waiting for the state to respond to its request for nearly $1 million in supplemental aid, so the council may not finalize the $62 million budget until January.

The tax bill for the 2008 calendar year was $1,068 for a home assessed at $140,000, compared to $879 in 2007.

Though taxes for the beginning of 2009 won't be as high as those for the half-year just ending, residents who attended a budget hearing at town hall on Monday were not happy.

Potential savings from environmentally minded projects aren't bringing the kind of relief that taxpayers said they needed.

"I want an across-the-board 10 percent cut, period. I think that's what the taxpayers in this town are looking for," said Philip J. Guerrieri, a Republican mayoral candidate last year.

"That will send a message to the taxpayers that this administration is actually putting together a budget to help them," he said.

Others criticized increases in certain departments, such as animal control, and suggested that the library cut back its hours and increase fees for non-township users. One resident said the mayor should cut his $73,000 salary.

In addition to saving money through environmental initiatives, Platt said at the meeting that he has cut back capital projects, canceled an annual festival for senior citizens and slashed police overtime.

Tax relief, the township's finance officials said, is a top priority, even if most property taxes are levied by the school system.

"We're doing everything we can at this point to be pro-active and innovative," said Maris Kukainis, the business administrator.