By Peter Elacqua
Staff Writer
MARLBORO – The Township Council has set April 20 as the date for a public hearing on a $36.8 million budget that will fund the operation of the municipality in 2017.
The budget that was introduced earlier this month is expected to result in an $8 decrease in municipal taxes for an individual who owns a home that is assessed at the township average of $494,179, according to municipal officials.
To support the $36.8 million spending plan, Marlboro’s commercial and residential property owners will pay a total of $26.27 million in property taxes. Other revenues will account for the remaining $10.53 million in appropriations.
In 2016, Marlboro’s budget totaled $36.6 million and the tax levy was $26.27 million. Officials have held the tax levy stable from 2016 to 2017.
The municipal tax rate in 2016 was 36.7 cents per $100 of assessed value. The average home was assessed at $494,873 and the owner of that house paid $1,816 in municipal taxes.
In 2017, the average home assessment is $494,179 and the tax rate is projected to be 36.6 cents per $100 of assessed value. The owner of that home will pay $1,808 in municipal taxes, a decrease of $8 from a year ago.
Property owners pay taxes based on the assessed value of their property.
If a home in Marlboro was assessed at $650,000 in 2016, that homeowner paid $2,386 in municipal taxes. If that home is still assessed at $650,000, the 2017 municipal tax bill will be $2,379.
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.
The budget’s anticipated amount of state aid for 2017 is $2.3 million, the same as in 2016. Surplus funds (savings) being used as revenue in the 2017 budget are $4.2 million, which is the same amount of surplus that was used in 2016.
In a budget statement, Mayor Jonathan Hornik said, in part, that “the proposed budget is under the state levy cap by $2.55 million and it is also $1.9 million under the state spending cap. The township is well under the state established limits on both taxation and spending.”
Hornik added that “we have held budget increases in check through a reduction in full-time employees – by more than 11 percent since 2007 – consolidating government departments and authorities, working with employees to trim salary and wage costs, and cutting operating budgets through efficiency measures. … Reducing the size of government has not diminished our successes nor our ability to plan for the future.”
Police officers in Marlboro were paid $8.6 million in base salaries and wages in 2016. That amount is expected to increase to $8.68 million in 2017. A total of $428,397 was budgeted for police operations in 2016 and $440,482 is budgeted for police operations in 2017.
Officials budgeted $1.53 million in 2016 to pay salaries and wages for street and road management in Marlboro. That amount is expected to increase to $1.55 million in 2017. A total of $175,111 was budgeted for other expenses involving street and road improvements in 2016 and $178,468 is budgeted for other expenses involving street and road improvements in 2017.
Employees of the recreation department were paid $383,706 in base salaries and wages in 2016. That amount is expected to increase to $390,376 in 2017. A total of $151,198 was budgeted for recreation operations in 2016 and $150,140 is budgeted for recreation operations in 2017, according to municipal officials.
