By Stephanie Prokop, Staff Writer
FIELDSBORO — The Borough Council reintroduced the municipal budget on April 9, after it failed to garner enough votes for adoption last month.
Mayor Ed “Buddy” Tyler said the budget was just short of the four votes it needed for adoption due to a lack of Borough Council members present.
He said no changes have been made from the first version, which would have raised the tax rate 34.5 cents — an increase of about $290 for the owner of a home assessed at the borough-wide average of $85,000.
The $766,382 budget will raise $374,643 through taxation. The general fund is a 14 percent increase over last year’s $716,565 budget and would bring the average municipal tax bill to $1,096. The new tax rate would be up nearly 36 percent from 95 cents to $1.29 per $100 of assessed property value, said Mayor Tyler.
The increase, said Mayor Tyler, is due to the lack of state aid that Fieldsboro will be receiving from the state this year, due to Gov. Jon S. Corzine’s proposed budget cuts.
Under the proposed plan, the borough stands to receive $92,000 less than the $140,000 it received last year.
He noted that in order for the tax levy to stay level, the borough would have had to cut its entire Public Works Department, as well as its police force.
“It’s just astronomical (as far as the aid cuts go) for our budget,“ he added.
Mayor Tyler added that he expects a second hearing on the budget in May.
