By Kayla J. Marsh
Staff Writer
HAZLET – Township officials have introduced a $21.2 million budget that reflects a zero percent increase on the municipal purposes tax levy.
At an April 5 Township Committee meeting, Chief Financial Officer Thomas O’Hara said that the introduced total budget of for this year is $21,189,749.76.
O’Hara said the introduced budget includes a tax levy of $13,923,000 which, “is the exact same as it was in 2015.”
The introduced budget includes a municipal tax rate of 60.3 cents per $100 of assessed value, down 1.95 percent from last year’s rate of 61.5 cents.
The owner of a home valued at the township average of $297,397, is expected to pay $1,793.30 in municipal taxes – about $3.65 more for the year.
“[It] is a slight increase from last year’s number $1,789.65,” he said. “Even though there is no increase in the tax levy it’s because we are just talking about the average home.”
O’Hara said the proposed municipal budget is well below the state-mandated two-percent levy cap and remains in full conformance with the state levy cap law.
“This budget is $2,315,920 below the state mandated tax levy cap,” he said.
A public hearing on the proposed budget is scheduled for the Township Committee meeting on May 3.
“We streamlined things and went through it line by line and maintained current or below last year’s cost items,” Mayor Scott Aagre said.
