JACKSON – Without hearing any comments or questions from residents, the Jackson Township Council has adopted a $44.79 million budget to fund the operation of the municipality during 2019.
Council President Robert Nixon, Council Vice President Barry Calogero, Councilman Ken Bressi, Councilman Alex Sauickie III and Councilman Andrew Kern voted to adopt the budget on April 23.
“I want to thank the administrator and your team for doing a wonderful job, putting this budget together and keeping us moving in the right direction,” Nixon said.
Appropriations in the 2019 budget include salaries and wages for employees of the Jackson Police Department, $12 million; police dispatch/911 salaries and wages, $571,565; other police expenses, $686,146; payment to the Police and Firemen’s Retirement System of New Jersey, $2.8 million.
And, employee group health insurance, $4.5 million; general liability insurance, $758,930; workers compensation insurance, $516,000; municipal debt service, $3.74 million; payment to the Public Employees’ Retirement System, $998,667; legal fees, $495,000 (Jackson spent $423,000 on legal fees in 2018).
Also, public works, streets and roads maintenance, salaries and wages, $1.55 million; public works, other expenses, $251,325; buildings and grounds, salaries and wages, $932,207; buildings and grounds, other expenses, $201,500; and snow removal, $400,000.
Total appropriations are up $620,000 from 2018 to 2019 and the total tax levy is up $650,000 from 2018 to 2019.
In 2018, the council adopted a $44.17 million budget that was supported by the collection of $32.35 million in taxes from Jackson’s residential and commercial property owners. Officials used $3.7 million from the township’s surplus fund (savings) as revenue in the budget.
The 2018 municipal tax rate was 47.9 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, the average home was assessed at $326,823 and the owner of that home paid about $1,565 in municipal taxes.
In 2019, the $44.79 million budget the council has adopted will be supported by the collection of $33 million in taxes from Jackson’s residential and commercial property owners. Officials will use $3.7 million from surplus as revenue in the budget.
The 2019 municipal tax rate will be 48.6 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, the average home is assessed at $327,707 and the owner of that home will pay about $1,592 in municipal taxes, according to township officials.
If an individual’s home was assessed at $300,000 in 2018 and is still assessed at $300,000 in 2019, the municipal tax that individual pays will increase from $1,437 to $1,458.
Municipal taxes are one item on a property owner’s tax bill, which also includes Jackson School District taxes and Ocean County taxes.
The amount of property taxes an individual pays is determined by the assessed value of his home and/or property and the tax rate that has been set by each taxing entity.
