EAST WINDSOR: Township aims to hike tax rate

Council introduces $20 million 2012 budget

By Amy Batista, Special Writer
   EAST WINDSOR — The Township Council has introduced its 2012 municipal budget calling for a 1.7-cent increase in the municipal tax rate.
   The introduced tax rate for 2012 is .415 cents per $100 of assessed property.
   In 2011, the tax rate was .398 per $100 of assessed property.
   The 1.7-cent increase introduced on Tuesday would increase taxes for the average homeowner by $4 per month. The average township household, with homes assessed at $264,000, would see a municipal tax bill of about $1,098, an increase of $47 from 2011.
   ”This budget is $619,131 under the allowable property cap,” said East Windsor Mayor Janice Mironov.
   ”That means that if the council wished we actually could increase the municipal tax rate by more than twice what it is now by an additional 2.2 cents. This budget represents an increase of 1.7 cents. So it could be 1.7 cents plus 2.2. So it could actually go up to 4 cents under the property tax cap,” Mayor Mironov said.
   The 2012 budget was introduced for $20,283,707.
   The public safety functions for fire increased for 2012 to $131,550 from $123,655 in 2011. Roads repairs and maintenance increased to $258,716 from $158,716 last year. There was no increase in the snow operating expense, which remained set at $30,000.
   The budget also included several incremental increases in the areas of the group medical insurance and gasoline.
   According to Mayor Mironov, the town has lost $905,000 via the state of New Jersey from 2010 from the energy tax receipts. For 2012, the town has $1.85 million available through energy tax receipts, whereas, last year $2.63 million was available.
   ”It has taken a hit on our fund balance and our taxes locally. Over the past five years, the fund balance decline has been $4 million,” Mayor Mironov said. “It has made a dramatic difference.”
   She stated, “We spent a great deal of time reviewing every account and every line in the budget and believe that this document represents a responsible, fiscally conservative, maintenance budget that will well serve our residents in these difficult times and move forward in 2012.”
   The public hearing for the 2012 East Windsor Township budget is set for April 17.
   In other news, the council also approved Charlie Brown’s alcoholic beverage license just in time for its re-opening.
   ”There is a lot of excitement in the opening of this restaurant,” said Alan Rosenberg, council member.
   Under discussion items, the council unanimously approved a resolution for sustainable land use planning grants in which the township plans to update its bicycle and pedestrian plan.
   According to the project description in the Resolution 2012-69, some of these routes would be physically separate from vehicular traffic, and others would be integrated with traffic to the extent that the bicycle paths would be an extension of the paved road surface marked to indicate its function as a bike path.
   The council proposed a joint road improvement project with Robbinsville Township at the intersections of Route 130 and Hankins and Conover roads.
   East Windsor has agreed to be the lead municipality on the project. The funding will come from the Developer Funded Transportation Improvement Program account and not from any public monies.
   ”This is a project that the township has been pursing for several years,” Mayor Mironov said. She explained that the goal of the project is to realign the three roads at a single point via a traffic signal. That intersection would allow all left turning movements by the traffic signal.
   Most of the change would impact Conover Road.
   ”Most importantly it would allow for safer travel, safer turning movements especially from Conover Road south onto Route 130 and from Route 130 southbound left onto Conover Road eastbound,” Mayor Mironov said.
   According to the mayor, East Windsor has only authorized phase one of the project but has not gone forward onto phase two or three.
   The council did not take any formal action on this project at the March 20 meeting.
   ”I would recommend . . . moving forward as well,” said Peter Yeager, council member. “I have the opportunity to use that area quite a bit based on where I live and just think this is something of high priority and given the fact that we can do it without the taxpayer funds for this is even more of a reason.”
   Next council meeting will be April 3 at 8 p.m. at the East Windsor Municipal Building, 16 Lanning Blvd.