Budget Hearing Set For Wednesday Meeting

Local tax bill will cost homeowners an average of nearly $60 more in 2012 under the Township Committee’s new spending plan, which is up for adoption at Wednesday’s regular meeting.

A vote is expected on the nearly $35 million 2012 budget following a public hearing, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at .

The $34,828,782.70 budget is $128,459.61 less than last year’s $34,957,242.31spending plan, a decrease of about .37 percent. 

The 2012 budget is supported by a $25,118,751.23 tax levy, up from last year’s $24,657,924 tax burden, an increase of $460,826.82 or about 1.87 percent.

The new tax rate of 67.3 cents for each $100 of property value is 1.9 cents higher than the 2011 rate of 65.4 for each $100, an increase of 2.91 percent.

On a home assessed at $304,000 – the township average – the municipal tax bill will be about $2,045.92 under the proposed spending plan. That’s an increase of $57.76 from last year’s $1,988.16 bill.

The municipal tax bill is only one portion of the overall tax burden, which also includes school district, county and fire district taxes.

Township committee members were quick to point out that the size and cost of municipal government has shrunk under the proposed spending plan.

“We have contained the employee cost,’’ Committeeman Clinton Hoffman has said. “Salary and wages have gone down.’’

The tax increase represents a dramatic reduction in the amount of ratables for the several years, totaling about $110 million, according to Deputy Mayor Todd Luttman.

“So our revenue has been decreased, causing the increase in our taxes,’’ Luttman has said.