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McKeon said the increase is because approximately seven employees are retiring, rising health insurance costs, increased tipping fees for waste removal, contractual increases in salary and wages and state pensions costs.
The mayor said two deputy chiefs from the Police Department would be retiring along with his secretary and four others.
"When I became mayor we limited the amount of vacation and sick time officers could take. But these two men were grandfathered in and they are at the top of the pay scale," McKeon said, adding that the township faces a budget hole of approximately $3 million.
"We are facing a $3 million dollar hole. Our health insurance benefits have increased by $620,000. We have to pay $965,000 in retirement benefits, and we have to pay $336,000 more than we did last year for state pension funding, and our tipping fees for waste removal went up $182,000," said McKeon.
The mayor also said there was a contractual increase in salary and wages for township employees in the amount of $1.9 million.
Business Administrator Jack Sayers said the preliminary municipal budget was a work in progress.
"This budget is a work in progress. We still don't know how much in extraordinary aid from the state we will receive. We are refinancing some bonds we expect the Local Finance Board to approve sometime next week. It will be a cost savings of $450,000 in a two-year period. $200,000 for this year and $250,000 for next year," said Sayers.
Sayers said the township requested $1 million from the state last year, but received half that amount in state aid.
"The extraordinary aid goes directly toward reducing property taxes. We don't know what we will get from the state this year," said Sayers.
McKeon said he has requested that all departments in the township keep their operational costs at the same level as last year.
"We can tighten our belts without reducing services. We are going to keep within the operational budget of last year.
Each department will be kept at the same level as they were last year," said McKeon.
McKeon said he has reduced non-uniform employees by attrition.
"Whenever someone retired, we didn't hire people to replace them. Since I have been mayor, we have reduced 14 such positions," said McKeon.
McKeon said he is negotiating with Green Acres to sell land while keeping it has open space.
"In the past, the township sold land to offset taxes. It was a quick fix, but the township lost the land. My plan will sell land to Green Acres making it open space so we get to maintain open space while making money," said McKeon.
Sayers said the Township Council was conducting budget hearings and would eventually cut the amount to be raised in taxes.
"I'm hoping to get that $179 reduced to $90," said Sayers.
Once council has made its cuts the municipal budget will be presented to the public in the first meeting in March, said Sayers.
