Firehouse Rehabilitation:  On March 8th, Ace Hardware's Fix It Guy held an event for the Lumberton Fire Department.  Ace helped round up volunteers to complete some of remaining repairs to the firehouse including refinishing tables, hanging items back on the walls, cleaning out storage areas and numerous other odds and ends.  Ace also donated $5,000 for the Fire Department to replace rescue equipment that was destroyed in the flood.  The Lumberton Fire Department typically holds several turkey dinners each year to offset a large portion of the cost of running a Fire Department.  Since the flood, the building has not been suitable for cooking large dinners or hosting events.  The Fire Department hopes to be able to get back to it's regular routine this spring.

Property Taxes:  Your local property tax bill will be going down in 2005.  The Lumberton Board of Education proposed reducing the tax rate by 14.1 cents per $100 of assessed value.  The Rancocas Valley Regional Board of Education proposed a 4 cent tax increase, and the Lumberton Municipal government's budget will not increase the property tax rate.  The net impact is a 10 cent decrease which translates into a $162 tax cut for a home assessed at the township average of about $162,000.   Both the Lumberton and Rancocas Valley school district budgets still have to be approved by the votes via referendum at the April 19th, school board election. 

However, you will probably pay more in total property taxes in 2005 because Acting Governor Cody proposed a state budget that will reduce the seniors Homestead rebate by $400 and the Saver's Rebate (for non-seniors) by $600.  

The prospect for 2006 does not look much better.  Aid to school districts and municipal governments is expected to remain flat for the foreseeable future.  Plus, the Lumberton School District's 2005 tax decrease is due largely to a one time revenue increase and a requirement from the state to draw down surplus.  Without the extra surplus and one time revenue item to draw upon next year, it is very likely that the Lumberton Board will come back and ask for a significant tax increase.  The Rancocas Valley school district is under the same pressures as the Lumberton district and has consistently asked for a tax increase each year.  Finally, the municipal government continues to struggle with containing the cost of government services.  The municipal operating expenses have increased by over twice the rate of inflation each year for the past three years, and the tax incentive PILOT programs, Payment In-Lieu of Taxes, for most of the new businesses will run out in 2007 resulting in a significant drop in revenue to the municipal government.  (In a few weeks, I will do a special issue on the Municipal budget with more detailed information.)

The Ashbrook School expansion referendum has been delayed and will not be on the ballot.  The Lumberton Board of Education decided to use the state school construction agency to manage the project so that any cost overruns would be the responsibility of the state not the school board.  However, the agency has been slow to respond to the Board's application resulting in the Board not being able to meet the filing date to put the referendum on the April 19th ballot.  

The polls will be open from 3-9 PM.  The voting location for all residents is the Ashbrook School.  

Super Wal-Mart:  Wal-Mart will be in front of the Land Use Board again on April 13th, at 7:30 PM.  Wal-Mart is requesting permission to expand their building to add grocery services.   At a prior appearance before the Land Use Board, several issues were raised about the truck parking on the access road, proximity to the Country Estates Phase 3 town homes that are under construction, and some parking issues.  Additionally, the anti-Wal-Mart lobby is mobilizing to stop Wal-Mart's expansion in Lumberton.  Nationwide, organized labor has been working to prevent Wal-Mart from expanding because they believe Wal-Mart does not pay fair wages.

If approved, the expansion will increase the size of the store by about 50% and increase the property taxes that Wal-Mart pays to the township.  Wal-Mart is in the final year of a five year PILOT program where they pay a reduced tax amount to the township government only (not the schools or county) as a incentive for locating in Lumberton.  To date, Wal-Mart will have paid, $233,625.93 in PILOT fees to Lumberton Township.  Starting in 2006, Wal-Mart's annual property tax payment will be about $83,000 which will be split out to the Lumberton Board of Education, Rancocas Valley Board of Education, Burlington County and Lumberton Township. 

Lending a Helping Hand:   From time to time, I come across a small community group or individual providing services that I think others would like to know about or benefit other people.  Melissa Davenport and the Fellowship of Seniors and Physically Challenged definitely fit that description.  Melissa started the Fellowship in 1994 to provide assistance to seniors and physically challenged in the Lumberton and Mount Holly area.   Today, the group provides groceries and clothes to 55 people including 27 children.  The group is in need of donations for food, clothing, toys, and money to continue and expand the services they provide in the area.  If you would like to donate or learn more, please feel free to contact Melissa at 267-3134.

Webmaster Note:  The current, low budget newsletter service that I use for E-News has been flagged by at least one major ISP as a source of spam, so in order to reach as many people as possible, I need to switch to another newsletter service.  In the next week or so, you will be receiving an email asking you to confirm your subscription to E-News.  You need to click the embedded link to confirm your subscription.  If you do not, you will no longer be subscribed to Lumberton E-News.  If for some reason you do not receive E-News, you can still read every issue on the Lumberton E-News web site.  I apologize for the inconvenience, but I need to do this to ensure that E-News get through to all the subscribers.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this issue, and please share it with your friends and neighbors.  Have a great Easter!