By Anne Levin

Princeton Council voted to re-introduce the municipal budget for 2020 at its virtual meeting on Monday, April 13. While the originally announced budget had a modest tax increase, the revised one does not.

The decision to amend the budget was made in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the local economy. “The reason we’ve been able to do it in a responsible way is the prudent financial planning that has been done by [Municipal Administrator] Marc Dashield, [Chief Financial Officer] Sandy Webb, and CFAC [the Citizens Financial Advisory Committee],” said Mayor Liz Lempert.

CFAC Chairman Scott Sillars delivered a presentation on the budget. The presentation can be viewed on the municipality’s YouTube channel, and details can be found at princetonnj.gov.

The budget will come back to Council for a public hearing and adoption at the next meeting on Monday, April 27.

Lempert provided details on efforts to delay the May 1 deadline to file taxes to help those experiencing financial hardship due to the coronavirus shutdown. The town has not able to get an extension of 30 days to the existing 10-day grace period, because a bill to allow it is still pending in the Senate. “We will continue to track that, but right now we can’t extend the grace period unless the legislature gives us the ability to do so,” Lempert said.

Also at the meeting, Health Officer Jeffrey Grosser provided an update on efforts to contain the COVID-19 virus. Grosser said the health department has worked closely with retailers and other local employers to make sure they are providing facial masks for employees. He also thanked the Arts Council of Princeton and local residents who have been sewing cloth masks. “Cloth-based coverings have become more of a social norm than I could ever have imagined,” he said. “We have seen asymptomatic spread in this town, and this is concerning. The cloth face coverings help with that.”

Grosser also acknowledged contact tracing, thanking school nurses and others involved in finding who has been in contact with infected people. “This is one of the key ways to stop COVID-19 and help Princeton return to normal after the pandemic,” he said.

He advised those who see people who are not wearing masks to “call them out, respectfully,” or report them to the police department. “The police are assuming that people not wearing masks don’t know that they should, and they can advise them how to get one. Any resident having a hard time finding masks should contact us. We will assist you.”