Ray Holshue

The municipal budget for the fiscal year 2025 includes revenues from surplus, miscellaneous sources, and delinquent taxes. Appropriations cover operating expenses like salaries, wages, deferred charges, capital improvements, and debt service. Key revenue items include local taxes, energy receipts tax, and various grants. The budget also accounts for employee group health insurance costs and waivers. Adjustments to the tax levy are made for new ratables, health insurance, pension obligations, capital improvements, and debt service. Levy cap calculations are detailed, along with available levy cap banks from previous years.

The document outlines performance indicators for the UEZ, focusing on increasing business in the downtown area and UEZ by improving safety and comfort for the public. It also aims to enhance social media use to boost public meeting attendance and improve policy decisions, along with increasing the utilization of UEZ programs to decrease vacant storefronts and diversify business types. Additionally, it includes collecting and publishing quarterly performance indicators to track progress and inform stakeholders.

The Mount Holly Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) 5-Year Plan focuses on revitalizing the downtown area and enhancing its economic vitality. Key areas of focus include improving walkability and downtown appeal, fostering competitive businesses and healthy economic development, improving safety and strengthening community, promoting cultural and recreational activities, elevating aesthetics and community appeal, and developing robust transportation infrastructure. The plan addresses issues identified through a public survey and SWOT analysis, including aging infrastructure, safety concerns, and the need to diversify business types. Specific initiatives include increasing downtown security, improving recreational access to the Rancocas Creek, constructing a bicycle and pedestrian path, exploring relocation of the municipal building, and implementing grant programs for business infrastructure. Broad recommendations include utilizing multiple funding sources, programming more frequent events, leveraging the Rancocas Creek for recreational benefits, and facilitating small business loans. The plan prioritizes land use, placemaking, new business recruitment, and pedestrian/recreational infrastructure improvements.