LAMBERTVILLE: Council gives OK to city’s budget

By Linda Seida, Staff Writer
   LAMBERTVILLE — The mayor and City Council on Monday approved a $4.26 million budget for 2011 that will raise property taxes for the average homeowner by $235 with the increase stemming from a ballot question that allowed voters to choose how they wanted to pay for garbage collection.
   The vote was 4-0. Councilwoman Elaine Warner was absent.
   Voters in April approved a tax levy increase of $430,000 above the 2-percent cap, or 23.58 percent more. Voters said they wanted the fees for garbage and recycling collections included under the city’s budget and billed through property taxes.
   Last year, the city billed separately for the service, $200 per unit.
   ”It was really up to the voters, and they decided,” Mayor David Del Vecchio said. “The voters spoke, and anytime there’s a decision from the voters, it’s a good one. It’s their choice.”
   Voters approved the ballot question 458-318.
   The total tax levy is $2,207,975. The tax rate is 30.7 cents.
   The owner of a house assessed at the city average of $357,866 will pay $1,099. Last year, when the tax rate was 24.1 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, and the average assessment was $358,626, the average homeowner paid $864.
   The budget includes a debt service payment of $646,419. That equates to about 15 percent of the total budget — the largest payment for debt ever made.
   About 18 percent of the budget is earmarked for pension and benefit payments.
   The spending plan utilizes $142,400 from savings, leaving about $90,000 in surplus.
   The budget also includes Sparkle Week, a citywide cleanup of heavier items that is popular with citizens. The cleanup was scheduled to begin this week for residents whose garbage collections fall on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The event will run through Friday. For residents whose garbage collections fall on Thursdays and Fridays, their Sparkle Week collection will be held May 17 to 20.
   The budget includes no salary increases for nonunion city employees.
   The spending plan includes a $60,000 digital upgrade for parking meters.
   The city will continue working with a reduced staff, which began last year, with only nine officials — 1.5 positions in the Municipal Court, two in the clerk’s office and five in Public Works.