Mount Laurel voters go to the polls Tuesday to decide on strict pay-to-play campaign donation law.

Voters in Mount Laurel will go to the polls on Tuesday to decide whether to pass a local law severely restricting pay-to-play campaign contributions made to Township politicians from professional firms that work for the town.

The special election, held at the same polling places used in the general election, will run from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

At stake for the firms are millions of tax dollars paid for consulting or serving in roles as official solicitors, engineers or planners for the Township or its planning and zoning boards.

In 2021, through September, Mount Laurel paid the firms a total of nearly $2.26 million — up from full-year totals of $1.94 million in 2020 and $2.07 million in 2019, according to summaries of Township purchase orders provided to 70and73.com under an Open Public Record Act (OPRA) request.

Contracts for those firms' services are made by Township Council and the planning and zoning boards. Many of the firms contribute to the election campaigns of Township politicians or campaign committees.

Richard A. Alaimo Associates of Mount Holly billed the Township $1,057,603.32 in 2020 when it served as the professional engineer for the Township and the zoning and planning boards, according to municipal records. In 2019, Alaimo served in the same roles and billed a total of $923,515.69.

Philadelphia-based Pennoni Associates Inc. billed a total of $899,040.44 through October 2021, according to the records. The firm served as Township traffic engineer and open-space consultant.

Remington & Vernick Engineers of Cherry Hill billed $435,397.38 in 2019 while serving as the professional planner and traffic engineer for the Township and zoning and planning boards, the municipal records state. In 2020, in the same roles, the firm billed $242,355.37.

Alaimo, Remington & Vernick and Pennoni each contributed to the campaigns of Mount Laurel Democrats and Republicans over the last several years, according to records of the state Election Law Enforcement Commission.

Services provided can range from studies of zoning, development and open space in the Township to regularly functioning as engineers or planners, who review zoning or planning applications from developers who seek to build in the town. Solicitors are outside lawyers who attend board meetings and provide real-time legal advice and assist with writing resolutions that, for example, grant zoning variances to a developer.

A list of Mount Laurel professional vendors appears below.

The petition campaign for the pay-to-play ordinance yielded 1,373 certified signatures, more than the equivalent of 15% of the total votes in the 2020 general election that was needed to get the proposed law either on the November ballot or in a special election. The ordinance question did not make last fall's general election in time, so a special election was scheduled for next week.

"This ordinance would limit the ability of those seeking to perform work or business for the Township of Mount Laurel to contribute to political parties running for election in Mount Laurel," the petition notes. "The limits on donations to candidates for Township Council or their affiliates will help avoid improper influence in local elections. Entities that donate above the limits will be unable to gain municipal contracts in Mount Laurel Township."

Mount Laurel's all-Democrat Township Council could have adopted the ordinance without an election, but Council members did not comment on it and, by default, let it move to an election.

Township Republicans were behind the petition drive for the new law. The all-Republican Committee of Petitioners that directed the push was made up of John Francescone, Kelly Gale, Randy Reitz, Andrew Gaus and Patrick Appolonia.

» READ MORE: Voters to decide on Mount Laurel's pay-to-play law. 'Shadowy' group campaigns against it.

Voters in Mount Laurel have received the sample ballot through the mail. The Township advertised the election in the Burlington County Times on December 7 and gave instructions for voters who wanted to vote by mail.

However, the Township's website does not mention the special election, which could cost the Township as much as $150,000. The Township's official calendar on the website also does not list the special election. The "Election Information" page on the website shows information on only the 2020 general election.

State election law limits individual contributions to a candidate's campaign committee to $2,600 for each election. A corporation, association, union or group also is limited to $2,600. However, the ceiling rises for donations to political committees ($7,200) and county political party committees ($37,000).

The proposed Mount Laurel law clamps down even more on the annual contributions of individuals who are professional business entities or vendors to $300 each for mayoral or council candidates or a township party committee and $500 to a Burlington County party committee or a PAC. The limits apply for political candidates of any party.