"This budget will preserve Cherry Hill's premier status as the town with the lowest municipal tax rate in Camden County," Platt said in a statement.
The proposed budget for the 2010 fiscal year
would shave $52 off the annual tax bill for the average Cherry Hill homeowner whose property is worth $140,000, his office said.
Although the proposed cut was discussed at a town council meeting Monday evening, specific budget figures were not available.
Platt hailed the tax reduction as unprecedented for such a dire economic climate.
The township has been paying for the tax cuts by consolidating services, freezing wages and laying off staff. Fourteen employees were laid off in fiscal year 2009 for a savings of $800,000, said Dan Keashen, the mayor's chief of staff.
Savings from green energy initiatives also are fueling the tax cuts, Platt said.
Among other measures, a solar panel project that's expected to save the township $56,000 annually is set for installation this fall, the township said. And a new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system is expected to reduce the township's energy bill by $36,000 annually.
"During the last two budget cycles we've worked hard to stretch every penny to the limit in Town Hall and these are the dividends for making the tough choices and embracing new ideas," Platt said.
Council members in June approved a preliminary levy that assumed a $1 million budget cut. That was expected to keep municipal taxes at the fiscal 2009 level, when a typical home's municipal property tax was about $1,180 annually.
Township leaders were criticized last year when municipal taxes jumped about 17 percent and spending grew about 10 percent.
Platt on Monday expressed resolve not to cut the police department or senior services. Acknowledging that cash from building permit applications was drying up, Platt said the township would continue to search for new revenue sources.
"I'm sure there are going to be many challenges to make sure we maintain a tax level that will not be oppressive to taxpayers," said Councilwoman Joyce Kurzweil, addressing a resident's skepticism about the budget's true bill to taxpayers. "We have made no effort to be deceptive about the costs."
Homeowners should see a trimmer tax bill starting this winter, the township said. The full budget will be released by November.
