Aid gives Helmetta an extraordinary break

Municipal tax rate
would have gone up
25 cents without aid

By tara petersen
Staff Writer

Aid gives Helmetta an
extraordinary break
Municipal tax rate
would have gone up
25 cents without aid
By tara petersen
Staff Writer

HELMETTA — Though the borough is getting less state aid than last year, residents have reason to be thankful.

The borough expects to receive $145,000 in extraordinary state aid, down from $225,000 last year. However, the overall municipal tax rate will drop from $1.224 to $1.207 per $100,000 of assessed property value.

"Without the aid, the rate would go up to $1.32," Business Administrator Bill Schmeling said.

State aid this year translates to saving nearly 25 tax points, according to Schmeling.

For the owner of the borough’s average assessed home of around $68,000, the savings amounts to about $170 annually. Instead of an increase of $54, that homeowner will see a decrease of close to $116 per year because of the aid.

Schmeling said that although he would like to have received more, "You have to be happy with what you get."

This is a welcome reduction on the municipal end, given the hikes in recent years for education costs.

Residents have paid more than 50 percent over what they paid three years ago for school taxes.

The school tax increase for this year is about 17 cents, but would have been close to 80 cents if administrators hadn’t discovered a problem with the calcula­tion of tuition charged by Spotswood, where Helmetta students are sent. Board of Education President Barbara Raczyn­ski said around $300,000 was saved for Helmetta because of a "calculation glitch."

According to school Business Admin­istrator Brian Savage, the entire budget, including tuition, transportation and ad­ministration, is close to $3.5 million to educate Helmetta’s 281 school-aged children.

Raczynski said that there "is no room to cut" the school budget because every­thing in it is a result of what is mandated by the state.

"It includes a business administrator and a custodian of school monies that are required by state statute," she said. Both positions are part time.

Raczynski also said that there are cer­tain costs that should receive much better financial aid that every municipality has to deal with.

"If the federal government would pay for special education, that would tremen­dously relieve tax burdens to New Jersey residents," she said.

Helmetta is experiencing similar prob­lems as neighboring municipalities be­cause state aid has been relatively stag­nant while costs have risen. Neighboring Jamesburg will see a 41-cent tax increase for education, but no increase in munici­pal since it also received extraordinary aid.