Princeton Township Committee OKs budget

Spending reduced; tax rate increased about 10 percent.

By: Rachel Silverman
   Princeton Township unanimously adopted a $29.8 million budget Monday night — a spending package that, although it is $400,000 less than last year’s, still boosts the tax rate in the township by about 10 percent.
   Township Chief Financial Officer Kathy Shaddow, for one, praised the final figures.
   "They really did a good job on the budget," Ms. Shaddow said Monday afternoon prior to the meeting. "I thought it was very thorough."
   At the meeting itself, Mayor Phyllis Marchand echoed that congratulatory rhetoric. "I think our department heads have been working really hard to make our budget as lean as possible," she said.
   Committee member Bernie Miller was a bit more sparing with his compliments. "I reluctantly support the 2005 budget," he said. "We’re living beyond our fiscal needs.
   "We must start now, this year, to reduce expenditures," Mr. Miller continued. "We must put our own house in order."
   Committeeman Bill Enslin agreed, further emphasizing the need for fiscal frugality. "Members of committee are not happy with the tax increase," he said. "I join Mr. Miller in his efforts to bring under the microscope any and all spending."
   With this new 2005 budget, the tax rate in the township will climb to 68.5 cents per $100 of assessed value, up from 62 cents in 2004 — an increase of about 10 percent.
   The owner of a home assessed at the 2005 township average of $418,097 will pay $2,864 in municipal taxes, a $290 increase over last year’s total of $2,574, which is based on 2004’s average assessment of $415,172.
   The budget was introduced at an April 4 Township Committee meeting, at which time Ms. Shaddow and Township Administrator Jim Pascale made a formal presentation.
   Debt service, public safety and health and welfare constitute the largest areas of spending, Ms. Shaddow and Mr. Pascale said.
   Debt service consumes 22 percent of the total budget, followed by public safety at 19 percent. In addition, the township has been grappling with a spike in spending linked to salaries and benefits, they said.
   According to Mr. Pascale, the township recently entered a multi-year contract with the police, and a settlement with the Public Works Department is waiting in the wings.
   "The 6½-cent increase that we have in Princeton Township is well representative of what you’ll see in some of our neighboring communities," Mr. Pascale noted last month.