2003 budget put in place with
no comment from residents
By clare MARie celano
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD — The borough’s 2003 municipal budget reflects a sound management plan to effectively provide the services that are anticipated by residents, according to Mayor Michael Wilson.
The budget is "austere," according to the mayor.
The Borough Council held a public hearing on the budget last week. No residents commented on the plan.
The budget’s adoption is scheduled for April 24. Wilson said the borough is waiting for some final numbers from the state.
This year’s municipal budget totals $10.03 million, a figure up $484,000 from the 2002 budget of $9.5 million. The spending plan will raise the municipal tax rate from $1.047 to $1.083 per $100 of assessed valuation.
The 2003 budget proposes the collection of $5.2 million in local taxes to support the spending plan. The proposed debt service for the 2003 budget is $400,000.
The 3.6-cent increase in the tax rate means the owner of a home assessed at $150,000 will pay $1,624 in municipal taxes in 2003, up from $1,570 in 2002. The owner of a home assessed at $200,000 will pay $2,166 in municipal taxes in 2003, up from $2,094 in 2002.
Municipal taxes are one part of a homeowner’s property tax bill. Other taxes include Freehold Borough School District K-8 school taxes, Freehold Regional High School District taxes, Monmouth County taxes and other assessments.
In a prepared statement, Wilson said the primary reason for the increases that will bring this year’s annual budget to $10 million can be attributed to salary and wage increases established through collective bargaining as well as health insurance premium increases.
"The average health insurance premium increase is approximately 30 percent over our expenses in 2002," the mayor said.
Wilson also said the borough is anticipating an increase in its refuse and recycling costs.
"The borough is in the process of bidding a new three-year collection contract," he said. "As we all know, garbage collection contracts never decrease. Moreover, the borough recently received notification that the county will be increasing disposal expenses by approximately $4 per ton on April 1. The unit cost of disposal has risen by $8 within the last 12-month period."
Wilson cited the new police headquarters and municipal court relocation at the Rug Mill Towers on Jackson Street as having tacked on an annual rental cost of $17,000.
"The lease also requires the borough to pay for common area maintenance charges like garbage removal, water service and snow removal," the mayor added.
The mayor’s statement also addressed the effort that is now under way to sell the old police headquarters building on Bennett Street so that it may then be returned to the tax rolls. Residents who live near the building have expressed a desire to see it sold for office use, according to Wilson.
"The marketplace will ultimately dictate the final use of the site," Wilson said. "However, it will be most beneficial to the borough if the character of the building can be salvaged."
Another substantial change in this year’s municipal budget is the $59,000 that had to be appropriated for revaluation expenses. Wilson said the revaluation ordered by the Monmouth County Tax Board is currently under way and will be effective for the 2004 tax year.
The mayor said the Freehold Borough Quality of Life program has now seen its first full year of operation. The program, implemented in 2002, includes additional police and code enforcement personnel to deal with quality of life issues resulting from what the mayor said is the "huge immigrant population" now living in the borough. Wilson explained that the team is working to reduce overcrowding, litter and public drunkenness, among other violations.
He asked residents to understand that "the enforcement of these quality of life issues is a very expensive undertaking, particularly since the federal and state governments have rebuffed our numerous attempts for financial assistance."
Wilson said the advent of the new landlord licensing ordinance will help to offset some of the costs of operating the quality of life program in town by collecting fees from many of the absentee landlords who have been "exploiting" the borough.
In addition, the budget’s capital plan for 2003 will include the resurfacing of the entire length of Broad Street at an estimated cost of $250,000, according to Wilson. The borough obtained a grant from the state in 2002 which will be used to help pay for the project. Work is expected to begin sometime this spring.
The budget also covers the cost of new weapons for borough police officers. Wilson said the new weapons will be 40 caliber and replace the 9 mm model.
"The older 9 mm units will be traded in to obtain the new powerful 40 caliber units which will provide greater safety for our police officers," Wilson said.