A public hearing on Marlboro’s 2013 municipal budget is scheduled to be held at the council’s 7 p.m. April 4 meeting at Town Hall, Wyncrest Road.
Members of the Marlboro Township Council voted unanimously to introduce the budget on March 14.
The $33.13 million proposed budget is slated to be supported by a $24.5 million local tax levy, according to a copy of the proposed budget.
Taxes collected from individuals who own residential and commercial properties in Marlboro make up the tax levy.
In 2012, the governing body adopted a budget of $32.6 million that included a tax levy of $23.3 million, according to a previously published article.
The municipal tax rate should reach 36.3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation in 2013, Marlboro Business Administrator Jonathan Capp told the News Transcript.
The number represents an increase from the 2012 municipal tax rate of 33.8 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
The owner of a home that was assessed at the township average of $467,897 in 2012 paid about $1,581 in municipal taxes in 2012. With the increase in the tax rate in 2013, that same individual will pay about $1,698 in municipal taxes this year.
Individuals pay more or less in taxes depending on the assessed value of their property. Municipal taxes are one component of an overall property tax bill, which also includes Marlboro K-8 School District taxes, Freehold Regional High School District taxes, Monmouth County taxes, a fire district tax and other assessments.
Marlboro’s budget is more than $2.9 million under the state spending cap, Mayor Jonathan Hornik wrote in his budget message to the council. He noted that the spending plan complies with the state tax levy cap, without the use of waivers. Officials anticipate state aid to remain steady in 2013, at about $2.3 million, Capp said.
About $2.6 million in surplus funds (savings) will be used as revenue to support the budget, Capp said. He said that leaves about $1.2 million in cash in Marlboro’s surplus account.
Had post-Tropical Storm Sandy not hit New Jersey on Oct. 29, the township’s budget would have been $30,000 less than 2007, the year before Hornik took office, municipal officials said. Services related to Sandy compelled the township to take out nearly $1.1 million in emergency appropriations.
The council passed a resolution to pay back that amount over a five-year period. Capp said he included $212,000 in the 2013 budget to begin to pay off that debt.
Marlboro has been pegged to receive reimbursement payments from the federal government for costs incurred in the wake of Sandy. Hornik said municipal officials will continue to fight for the largest reimbursement possible.
Expenses related to municipal employees will place the largest burden on taxpayers. Police and public works personnel will require the most township money, according to a budget presentation.
Despite rising state-mandated costs, Capp said, Marlboro has kept its expenses in line through moves to shrink the size of the local government.
Municipal officials plan to undertake several capital projects this year, including upgrades to the recreation building, to make the facility self-sufficient. Hornik said the idea for the improvement came as a result of Sandy, after which many residents took shelter in the recreation building.
“We have to be able to house our own residents and make sure everybody is safe. That’s our obligation,” Hornik said.
Capp said the township will seek various forms of financing, including grants, for the project.
The township’s solid bond rating and low level of debt are expected to place Marlboro in a good financial position to pursue capital projects, officials have said. Contact Jack Murtha at [email protected].