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Spotswood council approves $10.39 million budget

By MICHAEL NUNES
Staff Writer

SPOTSWOOD — The Borough Council has approved its 2016 budget that will increase municipal taxes by about $60 for the owner of a home that is assessed at the borough average.

Council members voted unanimously on April 18 to adopt a $10.39 million budget, which will be supported in part by a $6.66 million tax levy on Spotswood’s residential and commercial property owners. The budget will receive $715,651 in state aid and use $1.32 million from surplus funds (savings) as revenue, according to information provided by municipal officials.

According to information provided by municipal officials, Spotswood’s municipal tax rate will rise from 87.8 cents per $100 of assessed valuation in 2015 to 90.3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation in 2016.

The 2015 budget totaled $9.98 million and was supported by a $6.49 million tax levy on the borough’s property owners. In 2015, the average home in the borough was assessed at $254,700 and the owner of that home paid about $2,236 in municipal taxes.

In 2016, the average home in the borough is assessed at $254,661 and the owner of that home will pay about $2,299 in municipal taxes.

The amount a property owner pays in municipal taxes is determined by the assessed valuation of his home and/or property and the tax rate. Municipal taxes are one item on an individual’s property tax bill, which also includes Spotswood school taxes and Middlesex County taxes.

During the public hearing on the budget, residents asked council members if there was any way to reduce the projected tax increase.

“There are things that are going into the budget and are being done that I think [the council] could have removed,” a resident, Jackie Palmer, said.

Palmer also voiced concern about a decrease in funding for the borough-owned ambulance service.

In November, residents are expected to be asked in a ballot question if they want Spotswood to maintain that public service. Officials have said there is an option to maintain the ambulance service or to outsource the task to another entity.

“It sounds like we are just putting a Band-Aid on [the issue of the ambulance service] and seeing if we can screw it up before November so then [officials] can go to the taxpayers and say, ‘Oh, look at the big mess that EMS is,'” Palmer said.

Council President Curtis Stollen responded to Palmer, saying, “We are going to give [taxpayers] the opportunity in November to make that decision. Until then, we have the system that we have, and the administration is working to make it as good as possible under the current conditions.”

In addition, according to Stollen, the appropriation for the Spotswood Police Department has seen a 5.8 percent increase since 2015.

“Our police department is one of the most important services the borough provides. … It has seen a big bump this year [due to] one-time things we are improving here, including accreditation for the department,” he said. “The goal is to provide the same or better services for as low a tax increase as possible.”

According to information provided by the borough, the budget continues funding for a part-time police dispatcher, as well as replacing the IT server, valued at about $200,000.

Officials expect to see a $160,000 increase in insurance costs this year and said Spotswood’s debt service payments will increase by $57,000 to a total of $835,880.

Voting to adopt the budget were Stollen, Councilwoman Margaret Drozd, Councilman Edward Seely and Councilman Leo Servis. Councilman Theodore Ricci was absent from the meeting.

Contact Michael Nunes at mnunes@gmnews.com.

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