As reported in this newspaper a while back, Millstone Township’s municipal tax rate of .151 cents was not raised this year. Our committeemen once again congratulated themselves on being fiscally responsible in formulating a budget for 2001.
We all should have received our tax bill notices by now, and, lo and behold, there is a new line added called the County Health Tax, at .009 cents. This tax appears to be a county-mandated charge when shown separately, but is part of a deal the township made to relieve the Freehold Health Department from a township agreement costing Millstone a little over $40,000 in year 2000. The new charge, which we’ve been told is a better deal, will cost Millstone more than $68,000 by paying the county. My point is, the tax rate did not remain stable but increased .009 cents, since the $40,000 was in the budget and remains there and the $68,000 was added on a new line.
Millstone should report this as a municipal health tax, like the municipal open space tax, so we can see our actual municipal costs. The actual local municipal tax rate is misleading at .151 cents when you include the .050-cent municipal open space tax (which the voters agreed to pay), the .009-cent county health tax, and the fire district tax of .079 (which the voters agreed to pay). Just the facts.
Also included in our tax bill notice envelopes was another incorrect copy of the recyclable material list with a pick-up schedule on the reverse. When will the township quit paying a salary for this incompetence? This notice was advertised in the Millstone Newsletter during the first quarter, and errors were communicated to the committee at that time. The total tonnage of recyclable material reported to the county and state and to the public was wrong and has yet to be revised to all. This incompetence has already denied us extra grant money due to inaccurate reporting in 1999 and will again deny us proper grant money if offered for year 2000. Just the facts again.
John Nalberczinski
Millstone