Tax rate to stay at last year’s rate, despite a new open space tax
By: Greg Forester
ROCKY HILL The Rocky Hill Borough Council has presented a 2007-2008 budget that includes no municipal tax increase. While the local municipal tax rate for 2007 decreased by 2 cents to 65 cents per $100 of assessed value, this reduction was negated by a new open space tax with a 2-cent increase that was voted on in a recent referendum.
The lack of a tax increase was part of a strategy to plan the budget by looking several years into the future.
"We as a council, did our best to look further into the future," said Mayor Ed Zimmerman. "We wanted to have fiscal responsibility and do as much as possible without impacting the taxpayers." The unchanged tax rate came as an effort to limit the effect of increases in county and school taxes is expected in the near future, according to borough officials.
"We rely upon a state formula to determine the cost of schooling, and with an increase in school children and school expense, cost could go up 10 percent," said Mayor Zimmerman. The Borough Council looked at other sources of revenue to maintain a static tax rate, including collecting grant money for projects already completed.
Mayor Zimmerman said the Borough Council worked to look ahead, and examine the schedule of borough projects to limit the impact on Rocky Hill residents.
The council tried to perform the smaller projects needed in the borough as soon as possible, while spreading out larger, more costly ventures, said Mayor Zimmerman.
The budget document introduced last week has many smaller, inexpensive projects with only a few large-scale projects. The largest project in the budget introduced last week is funding for sidewalk repair, with a first installment of $40,000 included for this year. There was also a $20,000 increase in parkland maintenance, with the major contributing factor being the new Van Horne Park.
Although borough officials said they are pleased with the budget, that could change if Gov. Jon Corzine signs a proposed 4-percent budget cap into law. "Then we may have to go back and re-examine the budget," said Mayor Zimmerman.
The next Borough Council meeting date was changed to 7:30 p.m. April 3 in the borough courtroom.

