Burlington County adopts $233 million budget with no tax levy increase
MOUNT HOLLY The Burlington County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday adopted the 2021 county budget with no tax levy increase.
The $233 million budget calls for a combined tax levy of $190 million, including $169.7 million for county operations, $11 million for the Burlington County Library System and $9.9 million for open space and farmland preservation operations all unchanged from 2020.
“While the economic outlook has brightened considerably from a year ago, we know the crisis has not yet ended and that many families and small businesses are still struggling,” said Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson. “Our county is still in recovery so our Board was determined not to add to our residents’ tax burdens.
MOUNT HOLLY The Burlington County Board of Commissioners are touting a 2021 county budget with no tax levy increase despite the expectation revenues will be down.
The board unanimously approved the introduction of its proposed $233 million budget at its meeting on March 24. It s the earliest the county budget has been introduced in modern history, officials said.
The proposed budget would keep the county tax levy stable at $169.7 million while maintaining county staff and providing funding for its COVID-19 response and other county services and programs.
“For over a year the COVID-19 pandemic has put an incredible strain on the finances of our residents and small businesses, and our Board was determined not to add to their tax burden during the still ongoing crisis,” said Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson.
With the zoning board approval, it is now allowed to conduct the same exact quality-control testing its currently doing on hemp on medical and recreational marijuana. No site changes are needed to do the additional testing, and marijuana will not be sold or consumed at the facility. It s doing chemical analysis of the material. It s very similar to other consumer product testing, said Kristin Goedde, co-founder and chief operating officer of Trichome Analytical. We want to really help this industry to provide clean and reliable medicine.
The company has occupied the facility since 2018, when it received conditional use approval for its hemp testing operation. In late July, it began its third-party testing program for hemp and cultivators and processors.
Sentencing of former Bordentown Township police chief postponed again
CAMDEN The sentencing of former Bordentown Township Police Chief Frank Nucera, Jr. has been postponed once again due to ongoing, serious medical issues.
The former police chief s sentencing date, scheduled for April 16, has been pushed back to May 13.
Nucera was accused of assaulting of a handcuffed Black teenager in 2016, and found guilty of lying to the FBI during its investigation into the incident in October 2019.
A mistrial was declared on the other two charges Nucera faced, hate-crime assault and violation of civil rights, after the 12-person jury could not come to a unanimous verdict. He s still awaiting a retrial on the charges.
2nd inmate at FCI Fort Dix dies from COVID-19 complications
Fernando Marulanda Trujillo, 69, died on March 25.
Marulanda Trujillo first tested positive of COVID-19 on Dec. 12, according to the BOP. He was transported to a local hospital on the same day, and on Dec. 22, he was declared recovered after presenting no symptoms.
Marulanda Trujillo, who suffered from preexisting medical conditions that made him more vulnerable to COVID-19, was then transported to a long-term care facility, the BOP said.
His conditioned worsened on March 16, and once again he was transported to a local hospital, the BOP said. He died nine days later.