Red Bank RiverCenter Submits Budget, Includes Plan to Help Clean Up Red Bank

Red Bank RiverCenter presented the borough’s council with its 2011 budget request Wednesday evening, and outlined a spending plan that includes allocating funds to help clean up the downtown.

The total budget, which requires a public hearing later this month before going before council for a final vote, is $512,120, the same as last year. That final number is based on an assessment of properties in the borough’s Special Improvement District, according to RiverCenter.

Among the line items on this year’s budget is an additional $24,000 applied to sidewalk cleaning and bench maintenance. The issue of dirty sidewalks has been a concern, one that’s been brought up by business owners, and members of the council at public meetings.

Blame for the mess has been passed from business owners, to tenants, to the borough’s department of public works, but, ultimately, someone has to be responsible to clean it up. RiverCenter, in a letter to the council, said it would team up with public works to keep sidewalks clean.

“Maintenance, including bench maintenance and sidewalk cleaning continues to be a high priority in the district and the budget reflects our commitment and investment concerning this issue,” the correspondence reads.

For capital projects alone, which include horticulture projects like planting flowers and maintaining them, sidewalk and bench maintenances, and holiday decorations, RiverCenter has apportioned $92,000.

Another significant portion of the budget is applied to business recruitment and retention, and marketing. The nearly $108,000 line item includes just over $30,000 for marketing and advertising, and $50,000 in funding for Red Bank’s visitors center, an increase of $5,000 from the year before.

A revamped website is also being planned.

“This year,” the letter read. “We will launch our completely redesigned website, which is more dynamic and will better ‘sell’ Red Bank to potential businesses and customers.”

RiverCenter’s largest expenditure, coming in at nearly half of its yearly budget, is for administrative costs. At more than $244,000, the cost dwarfs the second-largest cost, the marketing budget.

RiverCenter’s staff is necessary, according to the letter, as it helps organize activities, produce marketing and promotional tools, and work with residents, the borough, and business owners throughout Red Bank.