ROBBINSVILLE — The budget plan for Robbinsville Township for the coming year has started taking shape, after the first of several meetings on the 2013-14 spending plan Thursday night.

The proposed $21.9 million budget would include a four percent tax cut, or about $76 for the average homeowner. That cut primarily comes from the introduction of a payment plan from the Amazon warehouse coming in. At the council meeting, the public heard testimony from the public works, engineering, finance, police and fire departments on their plans.

The police department which blew through its overtime budget due to Superstorm Sandy, will be purchasing three new vehicles. Chief Martin Masseroni said the township had held off for years replacing the older cars of its fleet and the township was paying more in repairs.

The township attorney’s office would also add another attorney two days a week to handle affordable housing issues and other problems, such as one “disgruntled resident” who has been filing Open Public Records Act requests on an almost-daily basis and making staff feel uncomfortable, Roselli said.

Witt said the township was losing out from that resident, who has filed two losing suits against the township.

“This is a pervasive problem that affects the township as a whole,” he said. Township employees and taxpayers are affected he said, because “they can’t do what they are supposed to do because of this crusade.”

You can read the full story here.