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Early Draft Of Municipal Budget Calls For Double- Digit Tax Rate Increase
By Catherine Snipe
Residents had to wait until April last year to find out what the final tally would be on their municipal tax bill.
This year, the township introduced its 2007 municipal budget a month earlier than last, and point to several reasons why.
Brick Township is applying for discretionary aid, a type of state funding township officials hope Brick is eligible for. But to do so, it has a state deadline to meet, and had to introduce the budget before March 23 to even apply.
The proposed township budget tops $71 million, up 5.74 percent from last year.
Mayor Dan Kelly released the proposal this week. If ultimately approved, the budget would put in place a 12-cent increase in the municipal tax rate.
Receiving discretionary aid is not guaranteed, township Administrator Scott Pezzaras said. But it doesn't hurt to apply.
"The township wants to apply for this aid," he said. "Last year, we did not qualify … Now, we want the opportunity to apply."
The township did not qualify last year because Brick carried too high a surplus, one of the factors which would allow the state to deny the funding application. The township has a lower but similar surplus this year.
The approach, though, is to try to get any funding or grants possible, Council President Stephen Acropolis said. Discretionary aid is used to offset the budget in hopes of lowering a tax burden to residents.
The first hurdle is meeting the application deadline. The township council took formal action at a meeting usually reserved for discussion only. The formal introduction of the budget during a caucus meeting allows the township to apply in time for discretionary funding, but it puts an important action outside of a regular meeting, which is televised to residents.
Acropolis said that was not the best thing to do, but the council did it because of the pressing deadline. He said the information on the budget will be repeated at the formal meeting March 27, which will be televised on Comcast Channel 20.
The budget also came earlier than last year because Brick has a different mayor preparing it council members said. Kelly, who will serve as an appointed mayor through the rest of 2007, said last week this would allow for more discussion before the public budget hearings occur in late April.
Last year, Mayor Joseph Scarpelli released the budget in April 2006, saying it required more preparation.
Acropolis said what was not possible
last year - a budget introduced in March - managed to become possible this year.
However, he said, introducing the budget is just one step in a several-month process to a new fiscal year.
"This is just an introduction," Acropolis said. "It's not the same as an adoption."
Last week, several township council members said they could not adopt the budget in its current form, citing the double-digit tax increase as too high.
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