Township council introduces $3 million bond ordinance for new DPW facility
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Summary
The Township of Washington Council introduced a bond ordinance on Feb. 3 to finance construction of a new Department of Public Works facility, with $2.85 million in proposed bonds and a $150,000 planned down payment from capital funds; the measure advanced on first reading and a public hearing was scheduled.
The Township of Washington Council on Feb. 3 introduced a $3,000,000 bond ordinance to fund construction of a new Department of Public Works facility, authorizing the issuance of up to $2,850,000 in bonds or notes and a $150,000 local down payment from capital reserves.
The ordinance was introduced at first reading by title; Council voted to introduce and to publish a public hearing date. The roll call on the initial introduction recorded votes as follows: Councilman Sears — yes; Councilman O'Malley — no; Councilwoman Velez — yes; Council Vice President Casio — yes. The council later authorized publication and scheduled the public hearing.
Township Administrator Mark DeCarlo outlined how the proposed project would draw on prior capital accounts established for the DPW/DMF facility. DeCarlo said earlier capital appropriations dating to 2017 and 2019 have been used in part for prior work: one account carried an available balance of $874,633.93 being used toward the current construction project, with earlier expenditures of about $641,268.07 and encumbrances remaining for design and related costs. DeCarlo offered to send a detailed, line-by-line printout of the prior expenses to the council the next day.
DeCarlo also said the administration intends to split the $150,000 down payment equally between two capital accounts. He identified a pre-deduction capital fund balance of $198,041.88; taking $75,000 from that account would leave $123,041.88. The capital improvement fund had a stated balance of $144,701; removing $75,000 would leave $69,701 available, DeCarlo said. He noted some encumbrances remain, including architect and monitoring contracts.
Council members asked for clearer histories of earlier bond ordinances tied to the DPW/DMF project. DeCarlo agreed to provide the expense pages and encumbrance detail to the council by email. Several council members pressed for a clearer accounting of what prior capital ordinances funded and how much remains available before the public hearing.
The council approved a temporary capital budget resolution related to the project and passed the resolution authorizing publication of the bond ordinance and scheduling the public hearing. A final vote on the bond ordinance will occur after the required public notice and hearing.
The council and administration said they will provide further line-item documentation to the council in advance of the hearing so members can review prior expenditures and current encumbrances.
