Partnership for Haddonfield’s revenues see a decrease in 2017 budget compared to previous two years.
Haddonfield’s Board of Commissioners adopted the 2017 Partnership for Haddonfield budget at its Monday, April 25 meeting. As outlined in the budget, 2017 revenues total $356,700, as do expenses.
PFH’s 2017 revenues show a decrease compared to the previous two years, where approximately $380,000 was at the partnership’s disposal. The drop is due, primarily, to a decrease in carryover surplus, with PFH’s other revenue streams remaining almost the same as in 2016. Spending levels are less in 2017 to account for the decreased funding, with major changes including a $11,500 decrease in marketing due to refocused spending in other areas.
The Partnership for Haddonfield is the district management corporation for the borough’s Business Improvement District, and its goal is to create and promote businesses in Haddonfield through marketing, advertising and promotional events.
“They work very hard every year on making sure our downtown is marketed, and we have good events and that we make our downtown a destination that’s known in the region,” Mayor Jeffrey Kasko said.
The borough levies a tax on business district property owners, which provides PFH’s primary source of funding, totalling around $250,000 a year. Kasko said the Crafts and Fine Arts Festival also provides a significant source of revenue for PFH, with nearly $50,000 coming in from the yearly event.
“That’s significant,” Kasko said. “It allows us to put that money back into the partnership budget, so that we can do more promotions, more events and more [public relations] to promote the town.”
Commissioner Neal Rochford spoke about the partnership’s community outreach, calling special attention to the networking events that have taken place throughout town.
“I think it’s an important component of the partnership, which sometimes people overlook,” Rochford said. “Sometimes they just think it’s about the retail and more foot traffic.”
In other news:
Commissioner John Moscatelli outlined the ordinance to amend sections of the borough’s code in Chapter 135 “ Land Development.” He said they are correcting the way building height is calculated with a new equation to determine the dimensions. He said they are also lifting the requirement that restaurants must have a certain number of parking spaces, since downtown is locked for parking.
“It’s just impractical to ask them to create these parking spaces,” Moscatelli said.
Additionally, he said they are doing something significant with “existing nonconformances.” To date, developers have found ways to circumvent the borough’s codes on spacing between homes by leaving a piece of existing structure as a side setback. Moscatelli said the amendment forces them to go to the zoning board to ask permission to leave an existing side setback.
“We are fervently hoping that most of the developers will want to sidestep that, demolish the structure entirely and build a conforming structure, so at least we don’t end up with these much larger houses packed in far too closely,” Moscatelli said.
The public hearing on the amendment will be at the next commissioners’ meeting on May 23.
