By: centraljersey.com
PLUMSTED – After adopting four municipal budgets in a row with no tax hike, Plumsted officials will be asking voters on April 27 for permission to exceed the new state-mandated 2 percent cap on tax levy increases in order to avoid having to lay off police officers.
Mayor Ron Dancer said Friday the municipal cap waiver will appear as a second unrelated question on the school election ballot. The Township Committee is still determining the exact dollar amount it needs voters to authorize, but will have that finalized by the time the budget is introduced April 6, he said. The town’s financial predicament is the result of a "perfect storm" of events, including a cumulative loss of $678,000 in state aid since 2007, a $10 million decline in the township’s ratable base, costly states of emergency two winters in a row, and the steady depletion of surplus funds over the past few years to stabilize the municipal tax rate, Mayor Dancer said.

