SPOTSWOOD–Mayor Edward Seely introduced a $14.3 million budget to finance the operations of Spotswood Borough.
“The mayor and [the] Borough Council have no control over school taxes. [Taxes] are set by the Board of Education and listed separately on the tax bill. The overall increase to the municipal budget is 4.83 percent,” Business Administrator Dawn McDonald said.
The budget was introduced on March 19. A public hearing will be held at 7:30 p.m. April 25.
“With the decision to maintain our own [Emergency Medical Services], the costs have increased as anticipated, while revenue has decreased slightly. The net impact from EMS is 2.37 percent of the 4.83 percent overall budget increase,” Seely said.
The total 2018 municipal budget amount is $14,386,358.60. The 2017 total municipal budget was $14,015,344.40, according to McDonald.
McDonald said the municipal tax levy is $7,129,075 and the library tax levy is $261,889. The 2017 municipal tax levy was $6,800,398 and the library tax levy was $258,928.
This year’s municipal tax rate is $0.964, which does not include the library tax of $0.035. The 2017 municipal tax rate was $0.920 and the library tax was $0.035, according to McDonald.
The amount of surplus being used as revenue in the new budget is $1,321,843. In 2017, the amount of surplus used as revenue was $1,295,347.44, an increase of $26,495.56, according to McDonald.
McDonald said this year’s municipal budget’s state aid total is $715,651. In 2017 the budget’s state aid total was $715,651.
The averaged assessed home value is $254,917.98, which can expect an increase of $113.27 per year. The 2017 averaged assessed home value was $254,915.74, according to McDonald.
The borough plans to fund the following projects for 2018: improvements to Main Street Firehouse; improvements to Brunswick Avenue, which is partially funded through a grant of $490,000; drainage repairs for Karen Street; acquisition of communications equipment for police, EMS and the Office of Emergency Management; the purchase of two police vehicles; and the purchase of one utility truck.
“Residents can expect work to continue on projects approved in 2017, including Phase III of Madie Avenue and infrastructure improvements to the Cottage Street section of town … as well as water main improvements on Lettau Drive, Elmer and Clark,” McDonald said.
McDonald said no new municipal employees have been hired and no municipal employees are retiring.
None of the borough’s departments are being eliminated or consolidated, according to McDonald.
“Residents can expect no reduction in the services that they currently enjoy,” McDonald said.
For more information, visit www.spotswoodboro.com/agendas.html or www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbGJWt0Px70.
Contact Vashti Harris at vharris@newspapermediagroup.com.
