Town Budget a 'Working Document' Until Next Week

The Township Committee is still working on its $35 million 2011 budget, trying to lower the tax rate ahead of next week's public hearing, officials said Wednesday.

Committeeman Todd Luttman at the Township Committee's workshop meeting called the 2011 spending plan a "living document'' that the committee was still trying to whittle in an attempt to reduce a planned tax hike.

The township's $35,061,334.56 budget is up $873,448.65, or 2.55 percent, from last year’s $34,187,885.91 spending plan.

The 2011 budget is supported by a $24,762,016.66 tax levy, up $695,889.37, or 2.89 percent, from the 2010 levy of $24,066,127.29.

The 2011 budget proposes to raise the tax rate to 65.1 cents from 63.2 cents for each $100 of property value, an increase of 1.9 cents, or just more than 3 percent over the 2010 budget.

"It's still a working document,'' Luttman said. "We'll keep working on it and hopefully by next week, we'll have it zeroed in and we'll have it lower than it is.''

On a home valued at $312,700 – the township average – the 2011 municipal tax bill would be $2,035.68, up $59.41 from last year’s $1,976.264 tab, if the current figures hold.

The municipal tax bill is only one piece of the overall tax pie. The total tax bill also includes, county, school and fire district taxes.

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The Township Committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the 2011 municipal budget at 7:30 p.m. May 11 at town hall, 2700 Allaire Rd.

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. The municipal portion of the overall 2010 tax bill ranked 19th in the county,  according to county tax board records. 

No municipal employees will lose their jobs under the proposed budget, nor are any programs being cut, officials have said.