BY BRYAN SABELLA
Staff Writer
METUCHEN — School officials released the revised budget figures last week, which cut the projected tax increase from 6.17 to 5.23 percent over last year.
The Board of Education voted 8-0 last week to introduce the preliminary school budget for 2004-05 and send it to the county superintendent of schools.
Total appropriations in the latest version of the budget are down slightly from $24,166,310, which was among figures released by the board earlier this month, to $24,012,339.
The projected tax increase of 6.17 percent has also come down to 5.23 percent, meaning the owner of a home assessed at the borough average of $184,100 would face an increase of $213, down from the previous projection of $251.
At least part of the slight reduction in appropriations and taxes can be attributed to additional state aid to the borough in the amount of $43, 461.
Board Vice President Ron Grayzel noted the district’s hands are tied by a number of factors.
"The overwhelming portion of the increase is nondiscretionary," Grayzel said, citing fixed costs, such as personnel contracts already in place and a 25 percent spike in health insurance costs.
Further, the borough suffers in the area of state aid and overall tax revenues because the tax base is largely residential, officials said.
A public hearing and a final budget vote is slated for March 30.