SPOTSWOOD – The Spotswood Borough Council has adopted a $14.8 million municipal budget for 2019 to provide funding for the operations and needs of the municipality.
Mayor Edward Seely delivered his annual municipal budget presentation on April 15 during the council meeting.
Using slides and pie charts, Seely said this year’s current fund is $11.35 million and the water-sewer utility is $3.5 million. The total municipal budget $14,879,570, which is an increase of $493,212 from 2018.
Seely said factors impacting this year’s budget include Spotswood providing police services to neighboring Helmetta since 2018, which resulted in the hiring of three new police officers. The use of surplus funds (savings) to offset taxes has been reduced by $181,949.
Costs over which municipal officials have no control are an increase in pension costs of $57,000 and a $30,000 increase in the reserve for uncollected taxes, according to Seely.
Borough Administrator Dawn McDonald said the total tax levy for 2019 is $7.13 million, which is the same as 2018. The tax levy is the amount Spotwood’s residential and commercial property owners pay to support the budget.
No new municipal employees are being hired and no municipal employees are retiring. No municipal departments are being eliminated or consolidated, according to McDonald.
Seely said this year’s total capital improvements cost a $50,000 down payment.
McDonald said the capital improvements will include road improvements to Adirondack Avenue, Phase I, which is offset by a New Jersey Department of Transportation grant in the amount of $542,200; renovations to the Main Street firehouse; the purchase of a new Quint Aerial firetruck to replace a 1991 Pierce Pumper; the purchase of a new backhoe/loader for the Department of Public Works; municipal building security upgrades; new flooring at the Office on Aging; improvements to sanitary sewer pump stations; and rehabilitation of the George Street water treatment plant.
For more information about the 2019 budget, visit www.spotswoodboro.com/borough-council
Contact Vashti Harris at vharris@newspapermediagroup.com.
