BRIDGEPORT — The Logan Township Council adopted its 2018 municipal budget during its April 17 meeting, and it did not include a tax increase.
“This is the second straight year we’ve had a flat budget,” commented Logan Mayor Frank Minor.
Logan Township ran into a problem in 2016 after gross revenues fell for the Logan Generating Plant and Keystone Cogeneration Company, leading to a $500 tax increase for the community. Keystone had represented a large part of the town’s revenue for a number of years.
Administrator Lyman Barnes said, “Businesses are good, and our surplus is strong.”
The budget was adopted after a public hearing. “The township continues to do very well. It was an excellent job by everyone who participated in the budget talks,” Minor added. “We thank you all for your work. It was a team effort.”
Barnes also pointed out that Logan Township had just received a very strong bond rating from Moody’s of AA3. Moody’s credit ratings and analysis give potential investors a graded system by which future relative credit worthiness of securities can be gauged. Moody’s judges the likelihood of a community to meet their payment obligations and whether banks should invest in them.
“The AA3 rating means it was a very low risk for people choosing to invest here,” Barnes explained. “It’s a really good look at the financial outlook of the township.”
Elsewhere, during his police report, Logan Township Police Lieutenant Joseph Flatley stated that local officers are stepping up to make sure speed limits are being adhered to on High Hill Road.
In Public Works, Superintendent Mike Riley reported that his department had begun filling potholes in the area, and started removing mulch from township properties. Riley added that May 19 was the community’s next Shred It Event in the front parking lot of the Logan Township Elementary/Middle Schools from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Minor said he had asked Riley for a checklist of various Public Works projects going on around town. The mayor wanted to be able to tell people when a project would be taking place in their area. “I think it will every helpful,” Minor noted.
Deputy Mayor Chris Morris also gave Riley and Public Works much credit for helping out the Logan Little League in a recent clean up day. Morris mentioned that Little League officials were really pleased with their work.
Under new business, Council granted a request for a block party that would close Surrey Place in Hampton Ridge Saturday, Aug. 25 from 12 until 8 p.m. In resolutions, Council endorsed the submission of a 2017 municipal recycling tonnage grant application to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
by Robert Holt
