School budget is tighter than the township’s.
In an unusual move last week, the Township Committee presented its proposed budget for 2007 by trumpeting the low impact the budget will have on total property taxes paid by Hillsborough property owners.
We say unusual because that’s not the way most budget and tax information is presented, but it’s how the township chose to do it.
And why not? Most folks would probably rather know the bottom line than the next-to-the-bottom line or other lines above that.
So, let’s recap the real bottom lines for residents:
The township wants to increase its budget by $1.7 million to $27.4 million; the school district is asking for voter approval to raise its budget by $1.9 million to $100.6 million.
Tax increase to pay for the budgets will add a total of $323 to the average homeowner’s local property tax bill: $134 for the township, $189 for the schools.
That works out to 1.36 percent added by the township, and 1.92 percent added by the schools.
That’s the number the township focused on in trumpeting its budget the 1.36 percent of the total bill, not the 6.6 percent increase in spending in the township budget, and certainly not the 41 percent of the total increase the township accounts for.
We can understand the reluctance politicians who campaigned on "no tax increase" pledges would have in presenting such a budget, but we can’t understand their expectation it wouldn’t be noticed by the public.
Here’s a tip: if it is "unavoidable," as Mayor Anthony Ferrera said last week, then don’t try to hide it or downplay it we understand employees get raises and gasoline and electricity cost more.
Some of the committee members attempted to puff up their budget by suggesting they had done a better job of budgeting than the school district.
But coming at this time of the year two weeks before the school budget elections the committee members should have double-checked their homework and avoided such statements.
The township budget is up more than 10 percent the school district budget is up a mere 1.9 percent, its smallest increase in more than a decade.
Crowing about their budget, while disparaging the school district’s was ill-advised and in poor taste.
We say the school district did better and urge residents to support this year’s budget, even if the committee doesn’t.
They’ll have enough to do to convince residents their own budget house is in order.