Northern Burlington County Regional school board approved a budget that includes a 5 percent increase from last year.
By: Eve Collins
MANSFIELD The Northern Burlington County Regional school board approved a $29 million budget Monday that would raise taxes in all but one of the sending districts.
The budget includes a 5 percent increase from last year, according to Business Administrator Richard Kaz. A state-mandated formula determines the share from each sending district’s tax rates, based on the community’s ability to pay and the population of students in that community.
The district serves students in grades seven through 12 from Chesterfield, Mansfield, North Hanover and Springfield townships and McGuire Air Force Base.
The budget will go before the voters in the April 20 election.
Voters also will be asked to approve a second question regarding an after-school activity busing program that would cost an additional $52,120 and would add half a cent to each sending district’s tax rate.
Chesterfield residents would see their tax rate decrease of 2.6 cents, for a tax rate of 97.5 cents per $100 of assessed property value. The owner of a home valued at the township average of $210,000 will pay $2,047 in taxes this year.
For property owners in Mansfield, the school tax rate would rise 8.5 cents per $100 dollars, for a tax rate of 95.8 cents. The owner of a home assessed at the township average of $168,000 will pay $1,609 this year.
In those townships, Mr. Kaz said, the tax rates were affected because of changes in equalized values and changes in the ratios of elementary school children to kids enrolled in the regional schools.
Property owners in North Hanover would see a school tax rate increase of 4.7 cents per $100 of assessed property value, for a tax rate of 86.3 cents. The owner of a home valued at the township average of $150,000 would pay $1,294 in regional school taxes this year.
Springfield residents would see their school tax rate rise 1.1 cents, for a tax rate of $1.10. Owners of homes valued at the township average of $150,000 would pay $1,650 in regional school taxes.
Superintendent James Sarruda said the board’s priority was to reduce the impact to taxpayers if possible this year.
"We were able to significantly reduce the impact with the rescheduling of the middle school opening," Dr. Sarruda said. The delay saved homeowners from seeing another 5 cents added on to the tax rate this year.
Dr. Sarruda also said the board cut spending on supplies and equipment in the schools by $240,000.
A public hearing on the budget is set for March 29 at 7:30 p.m. in the high school media center.