Borough may ask U. for funds

Bruschi raised the possibility of requesting more money from the University to help the Borough with its budget woes, explaining that under the current agreement the University donates $1 million to the Borough annually.

This past year, the University donated an extra $91,000, but the Borough will need more than that to cover its budget deficit, Bruschi said.

As a nonprofit organization, the University does not pay any property taxes on much of the land it owns in the Borough.

Borough officials have already begun meeting with University officials to start the process of renegotiating the donation agreement, Borough Mayor Mildred Trotman said.

Obtaining funds from the University “is not just a possibility; I think it will be a reality,” Bruschi said.

As a part of a state budget cut, hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding to the Borough will be eliminated, including a $70,000 homeland security program, Bruschi said.

The Borough has also suffered unexpected losses of tax revenue this year, including a $300,000 drop in money collected from construction permits.

Besides raising taxes and asking for more money from the University, other remedies the Council discussed included raising parking fees and encouraging new development.

Councilman Roger Martindell suggested that the Council examine raising parking fees in the municipal garage behind the public library. “We passed an increase on the parking meters last year, but we exempted the garage. Why is the garage such a sacred cow?” Martindell asked.

Bruschi said that the Borough may expect revenue after the University Medical Center moves to Plainsboro next year, which will allow the lot to be developed.

Worries over truck traffic

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The council also voiced concerns about Gov. Jon Corzine’s proposed toll hike and discussed options for preventing trucks from avoiding toll roads by driving through town.

Last month, Trotman, Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand and Lawrenceville Mayor Mark Holmes sent a letter to Corzine complaining about the increase in truck traffic that the proposed toll increase would cause for the area.

Citing a state report on the effects of the toll hike, Trotman, Marchand and Holmes predicted that the hike would increase truck traffic through New Jersey towns by “nearly 40 percent” by 2022.

The mayors recommended an alternative proposal, which couples a slight toll increase as well as a gas tax increase.

They argued that encouraging trucks to drive on small roads will cost the state in the long run. “The Tri-State Transportation Campaign estimates that road maintenance costs could rise to as much as $40 billon over two decades, more than the $32 billion we are now attempting to pay down,” they wrote.

Council members discussed strategies for limiting truck traffic in town should Corzine go through with his plan, including building roundabouts that are difficult for trucks to drive through and trying to obtain historic designations for some streets, which would prevent trucks from driving on them.

After the meeting, Councilman Andrew Koontz showed drafts of designs for his campaign signs to other council members. Koontz is considering a run for Mercer County freeholder.

He said he hopes to be appointed to fill the remainder of retiring freeholder Elizabeth Muoio’s term at a meeting of the Democratic County Committee on March 15.

Koontz said that if he does not get appointed then, he may choose to run for freeholder in November.