Fanwood Not Awarded Extraordinary Aid by State

The borough of Fanwood will not receive extraordinary aid from the state Department of Community Affairs this year to help provide property tax relief, the department announced Friday.

Up until now, the borough had been delaying the adoption of next year's budget until it knew for certain whether it'd receive the additional funding. The resignation of Department of Community Affairs Director Joe Doria on July 23 in the middle of a highly publicized federal corruption probe delayed the process.

No towns in Union County were awarded DCA money for 2009. Last year, Fanwood received $425,000 in state aid, and Garwood received $250,000. In total, the number of municipalities receiving awards dropped to 39 this year, down from 62 in 2008.

At the borough council's Aug. 4 meeting, a resolution was introduced to allow temporary emergency appropriations to deal with the costs incurred by the delays that have prevented the borough from adopting a budget.

Now, the question remains how Fanwood will adjust its budget, and when it will finally be adopted. The council is expected to discuss the issue at its Aug. 11 meeting.