Plumsted tax rate again unchanged

Plumsted Township Committee adopts municipal budget calling for a stable tax rate for the 16th year in a row.

By: Lauren Burgoon
   PLUMSTED — With little fanfare, the Township Committee adopted a municipal budget calling for a stable tax rate for the 16th year in a row.
   Plumsted’s tax rate streak is "unprecedented," Mayor Ronald Dancer said. The town has the lowest rate in Ocean County.
   The committee unanimously adopted the $3.4 million budget on May 9. The tax rate, set at 12 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation, means a homeowner with a house assessed at the township average of $132,000 will pay $158 in municipal taxes. Taxes will make up $505,837 of the budget.
   Mayor Dancer said the 2005 budget comes with no reduction in services. Instead, the town used several grants to supplement rising costs and dwindling state aid. Plumsted’s financial assistance includes a $125,000 neighborhood preservation grant, $72,000 for paving projects, $41,600 for the Cops in Schools program, $39,000 for sharing technology services with the school district and $35,000 for improvements to the senior citizens’ room at the municipal building.
   Mayor Dancer touted the stable tax rate as yet another reason why Plumsted is a "great place to live."
   "Plumsted continues to have Ocean County’s lowest crime rate, the lowest tax rate, the lowest debt, and the highest number of acres preserved from future residential development," he said.
   "These factors have helped to make owning a home in Plumsted not only a great investment, but a great place to live and raise a family," he added.