Hamilton Mayor Kelly Yaede introduced a proposed 2015 budget in March that would keep municipal taxes flat for the next year.
The $97.3-million budget is actually $417,000 larger than last year’s, but does not require any increase in tax rate, Yaede said in her budget message.
The document includes funding for increased staffing at the township’s expanded animal shelter, improvements to township parks—including resurfacing of the tennis courts on Apollo Drive, Sharps Lane and at the Dwier Center—and a 3-percent increase in funding for the Hamilton Township Free Public Library. It calls for the repaving of 31 township roads—including 17 by municipal road crews—as seen in the graphic to the right.
Mostly, the budget addressed the township’s public safety needs, with $1.4-million marked for Phase II of a new police communications system and another $325,000 going toward the purchase of 13 police vehicles.
The newest addition to the public safety portion of the budget is $143,000 in funds for police body cameras, a program which the administration and the police are still hashing out. Yaede said the township has reached out to Congressman Chris Smith and Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri for input, and may seek grants to help fund the body cameras. Township officials don’t know what kind of cameras it will purchase or how many.
Yaede said the idea came after she met with Washington, D.C. police chief Cathy L. Lanier, who credited body cameras for helping lower the crime rate there as well as decreasing the tension in interactions between civilians and police officers.
“Body cameras are going to be a vital component of protecting the residents of Hamilton Township, as well as our police officers,” Yaede said. “It de-escalates the situation.”
Yaede presented her budget March 3 to members of the media. Several weeks later, on March 16, Yaede announced she would be running for re-election in November. If elected, it would be her first full, 4-year term as mayor.
“I truly believe that Hamilton Township has been moving forward in the right direction during the past two years,” Yaede said in a statement, “and I would be honored to have the opportunity to continue serving our residents by keeping our community headed in the right direction … Moving forward, I believe our community needs solid leadership. As Mayor, I would be honored to have the opportunity to continue providing that type of leadership for our community.”
Yaede took office in November 2012 after being selected by township council to replace the resigned John Bencivengo as mayor. In 2013, she defeated Democrat Barbara Plumeri by 21-percentage points for the remaining two years on Bencivengo’s vacated term.
She previously served on township council and on the Hamilton Township Board of Education.
