By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN — Capital improvements to Manalapan’s infrastructure will be provided for in a $33.53 million budget that the Township Committee has adopted for 2017.
The budget was adopted in a 5-0 vote on April 19 from Mayor Susan Cohen, Deputy Mayor Jack McNaboe, Committeewoman Mary Ann Musich, Committeeman David Kane and Committeeman Kevin Uniglicht.
The $33.53 million budget will be supported in part by the collection of $21.82 million in taxes from Manalapan’s residential and commercial property owners, $3.75 million applied as revenue from the surplus account (savings) and the receipt of $3.87 million in state aid, according to Chief Financial Officer Patricia Addario.
Capital improvements for 2017 will include road repaving in various sections of the community, fitness trail upgrades, playing field renovations, and repairs to the basketball and handball courts at the Manalapan Recreation Center.
The budget as adopted was revised from the spending plan officials introduced on March 22. At that time the budget totaled $33.51 million, proposed a tax levy of $21.93 million and used $3.7 million from surplus.
During a presentation on April 19, Township Administrator Tara Lovrich said that in the intervening weeks, several grants were received and added to the budget. And, officials appropriated an additional $50,000 from surplus to use as revenue in the budget.
Manalapan’s 2016 budget totaled $32.78 million and was supported by a $21.29 million local tax levy, $3.82 million from surplus and $3.87 million in state aid.
The municipal tax rate in 2016 was 33.8 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The owner of a home assessed at $250,000 paid $845 in municipal taxes. The owner of a home assessed at the township average of $407,300 paid $1,376 in municipal taxes. The owner of a home assessed at $600,000 paid $2,028 in municipal taxes.
Manalapan’s municipal tax rate for 2017 will be 34.1 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The owner of a home assessed at $250,000 will pay $853 in municipal taxes ($8 increase). The owner of a home assessed at $407,300 will pay $1,389 in municipal taxes ($13 increase). The owner of a home assessed at $600,000 will pay $2,046 in municipal taxes ($18 increase).
Lovrich said Manalapan’s professional staff and elected officials continue to look at a multi-year plan when developing the budget.
“We do not use budget gimmicks because they are not sustainable,” she said.
Speaking about the spending plan, McNaboe said, “This is where we should be. This is a responsible budget, put together with a lot of hard work by many people. The Township Committee makes decisions, but we have a tremendous team getting us where we need to be.”
The budget funds the Manalapan Police Department; insurance and statutory expenditures; utilities, sanitation and recycling (the township provides garbage collection for residents); public works and parks maintenance; capital projects/debt; general government; construction/land use; shared services; parks and recreation; and health and human services.
Manalapan has 134 full-time employees and 52 part-time employees.
Municipal taxes are one part of a property owner’s annual tax bill and account for 17 percent of every tax dollar that is paid, according to Lovrich.
Other taxes are paid to Monmouth County (15 percent of every tax dollar), the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District (45 percent), the Freehold Regional High School District (20 percent), a township fire district (2 percent) and other assessments (1 percent).
As of 2015, Manalapan had an estimated population of 40,169 residents. The township’s tax base is 92 percent residential and 7 percent commercial, according to municipal officials.
