By Peter Elacqua
Staff Writer
MARLBORO – In a 3-1 vote, the Marlboro Township Council has adopted a municipal budget for 2016.
The $36.6 million budget was adopted on April 14 with “yes” votes from council President Carol Mazzola, Councilwoman Randi Marder and Councilman Scott Metzger.
Councilman Jeff Cantor voted “no” on the motion to adopt the budget without comment.
Councilman Michael Scalea was absent from the meeting.
No one from the public commented on the budget when given the opportunity to do so.
“I thank the council members for their cooperation with the administration and for their hard work during this process,” Mayor Jonathan Hornik said.
Under Marlboro’s form of government, the administration develops the budget and presents it to the council. The council members review and adopt the spending plan.
The $36.6 million budget was unchanged from the document that was introduced on March 10. The spending plan will be supported by the collection of $26.27 million in taxes from Marlboro’s residential and commercial property owners. Other revenues will account for the remaining $10.33 million in appropriations, according to information provided by municipal officials.
In 2015, the budget totaled $34.82 million and the tax levy was $25.28 million. The municipal tax rate was 35.5 cents per $100 of assessed value. The average home was assessed at $492,540 and the owner of that home paid $1,748 in municipal taxes.
In 2016, the average home assessment is $494,873 and the tax rate is projected to be 36.6 cents per $100 of assessed value. The owner of that home will pay $1,810 in municipal taxes.
Residents and business owners pay taxes based on the assessed value of their property.
Municipal taxes are one item on a property owner’s tax bill, which also includes Monmouth County taxes, Marlboro K-8 School District taxes, Freehold Regional High School District taxes, a fire district tax and other assessments.
Business Administrator Jonathan Capp attributed half of this year’s $62 municipal tax increase for the owner of a home assessed at the township average to the cost of snow removal in the aftermath of a 20-inch-plus blizzard in January.
Capp said pension costs for municipal employees will increase from $2.74 million in 2015 to $2.92 million in 2016; health benefit costs for municipal employees have remained flat at $3.32 million; and the reserve for uncollected taxes has increased from $2.33 million in 2015 to $2.39 million in 2016. Capp said the solid waste collection budget has increased from $486,000 in 2015 to $689,000 in 2016.
Police officers in Marlboro were paid $8.4 million in base salaries and wages in 2015. That amount is expected to increase to $8.6 million in 2016. A total of $396,585 was budgeted for police operations in 2015 and $428,397 is budgeted for police operations in 2016.
The budget’s anticipated state aid for 2016 is $2.3 million, the same as in 2015. Surplus funds (savings) being used as revenue in the 2016 budget are $4.2 million, which is the same amount of surplus funds that were used in 2015.
