No change expected in tax rate

For third year, North Hanover tax rate stays stable

By: Scott Morgan
   NORTH HANOVER — Mayor Bill Tilton credits a lot of hard work and a little old-fashioned nip-and-tuck for keeping the municipal tax rate flat.
   For the third straight year, the township is expected to adopt a budget that maintains the township’s municipal tax rate of 21 cents per $100 of assessed property value. The Township Committee introduced North Hanover’s $2.88 million budget at its April 27 meeting, positing a plan that will mean a municipal tax bill of $357 for the owner of the township’s average-assessed property worth $170,000.
   Mayor Tilton said the reasons the municipal tax rate is staying flat are simply a decrease in spending and an upswing in revenue. The committee trimmed the township tax collector’s position last August for a svaings of roughly $16,000. (Mary Annecchiarico was North Hanover’s full-time tax collector, who received benefits before she resigned last year and was replaced by Dawn Mitchell, who works only about 24 hours a month and receives no benefits). The committee also cut some general administrative costs and supplies costs, reducing spending by about $200,000 total, the mayor said.
   On the other side, Mayor Tilton said, new businesses, a streamlined process for attaining mercantile licenses and the newly installed motel room tax should increase revenues, though money from that tax has yet to come in.
   The budget is expected to be voted on at the May 25 Township Committee meeting.