Towns prepare for even tougher budget battles as surpluses shrink, development slows

– pressofAtlanticCity.com

Most area municipalities have just caught their breath from preparing this year’s budget, and it’s still five months before it’s time to prepare more, but already some local governments are forecasting deep cuts and steep challenges for next year. The recession, which has depressed property values, along with an increased demand for services and a new state-imposed 2 percent cap on property tax levy increases could make the the budget battles of 2011 worse than this year’s. In July, Hamilton Township was projecting a $2.4 million shortfall for 2011, a cut so severe its administrator cited it as one of the reasons he would retire early at the end of the year.

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