Weekly Township Briefing for August 07, 2009

Mayor joins League of Municipalities Educational Foundation
I’m humbled to announce that I was asked to join the New Jersey League of Municipalities Educational Foundation as a board member, and have accepted as of this week. The purpose of the Foundation is to conduct, encourage and support educational programs that will serve local government officials and employees – while, at the same time, adding to the public’s knowledge and benefiting all of the state’s citizens.

Since 2007, the Foundation has offered programs on school funding, affordable housing and, this fall, it will offer a program at Rutgers University’s Bloustein School on New Jersey’s economy: “Status of Gloom and Prospects for Bloom.” I look forward to contributing, and will continue to keep you apprised of this important foundation’s work and projects.

State mailing Homestead Rebate applications to mid-income residents
Soon, one million middle-income New Jersey homeowners will have received applications for Homestead Rebates, the direct property-tax relief program in the state’s 2010 fiscal-year budget.

Qualified non-senior homeowners with incomes between $50,000 and $75,000 will receive checks averaging about $700, while those non-seniors with incomes below $50,000 will receive rebate checks averaging $900. Homeowner rebate applications must be filed by phone or over the Internet. The homeowner rebate automated telephone filing system and the Internet filing application are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Homeowners can file by phone by calling (877) 658-2972, or online at www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxatio n/.

The filing deadline for non-senior/non-disabled homeowners is Sept. 1, 2009. Rebate checks are scheduled to be mailed in October. For more information about the Homestead Rebate Program, homeowners may call the Homestead Rebate Hotline at (888) 238-1233 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Homestead rebate information is also available on the Division of Taxation’s Web site atwww.state nj.us/treasury/taxation/homestead/hrintro.shtml and through the Division’s Automated Tax Information System at (800) 323-4400.

Fox Rehabilitation moves headquarters to Cherry Hill Business Park
Despite the downward trajectory of the national economy, Cherry Hill’s bustling business community has managed to remain on-track, and is even enjoying expansion in areas throughout the Township. Joining our slate of businesses nationally headquartered here – including TD Bank, Subaru of America, and Pinnacle Foods – is Fox Rehabilitation, a provider of in-home physical, occupational and speech therapy.

One Aug. 3, the company officially moved four miles away from its previous 9,000-square-foot corporate office on King's Highway to a 90,000-square-foot vacant building just off Springdale Road in the Cherry Hill Business Park. Fox Rehabilitation now occupies 65,000 square feet of the building and plans to lease the remaining space to an unaffiliated tenant. The decision to relocate its headquarters to Cherry Hill will maintain more than 400 local jobs and add as many as 240 new positions, creating fresh employment opportunities for area residents.

Adler to meet with public in Township Community Center
Tomorrow, Saturday Aug. 8, US Representative John Adler (NJ-3) will meet with the Cherry Hill community. As part of the "Congress in Your Corner" series of public meet-and-greets, he will answer questions and engage constituents in an open forum from 11 a.m. to 12 noon inside our Carman Tilelli Community Center, adjacent to Town Hall (820 Mercer St). There is no need to register in advance; just head to the municipal complex tomorrow morning with any queries or concerns you have for the Congressman. For more information, call his Marlton office at (856) 985-2777.

Community Blood Drive to be held at library on Aug. 17
The American Red Cross will host a blood drive on Monday, Aug. 17, from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Cherry Hill Public Library, 1150 Kings Hwy. North. If you are in good health, at least 17 years old, and weigh 110 pounds or more, now is the time to roll up your sleeve and donate. According to the Red Cross, spending just 15 minutes at a blood drive can save up to three lives. Call library event coordinator Katie Hardesty at (856) 903-1207 to schedule your appointment today.

Township police roll out online bike registration program
Recovering stolen bicycles is one of the most difficult and frustrating tasks for our police department – often officers receive little more than a description of color and height. In an effort to improve the recovery rate of stolen bikes, we have put together a simple yet innovative registration program that we believe will make a big difference.

A digital bike registration form is now set up through the Township Web site, where bike owners or parents of bike owners can enter their information along with a unique serial number – much like a car’s vehicle identification number – located under the pedal crank. Spending a few minutes online registering a bike can save the police department hours of effort, and the database can be accessed from police cruisers so recovered bicycles that have been registered can be instantly found within the system and returned to the owner. Currently, the Townships holds found-bikes for 60 days before donating them to a local charity. Please visit www.CherryHillPolice.com to register your household’s bikes today.


For up-to-the-minute updates on any subject, call my office at 856.488.7878 or visit our municipal Web site: www.CherryHill-NJ.com .

Sincerely,

Bernie Platt
Mayor