The Township Committee introduced a $7.1 million municipal budget, which calls for a 1-cent increase in the municipal tax rate during its meeting on March 13.
by Amy Batista, Special Writer
MANSFIELD TOWNSHIP — The Township Committee introduced a $7.1 million municipal budget, which calls for a 1-cent increase in the municipal tax rate during its meeting on March 13.
”It is a collaborative between the departments and the governing body,” said Joseph Monzo, chief financial officer.
A draft budget was presented several weeks ago based on the request of the departments along with other non-department expenses such as health benefits, utilities, debt service, pension and social security.
”The committee reviewed this document and met with department heads where warranted,” Mr. Monzo said, noting that the committee additionally held a budget workshop the week prior.
”I think we talked last week about 1.5 cents and bringing it down to one,” said Committeeman Arthur Puglia.
Snow removal is the biggest increase in the budget, according to officials.
”It’s almost all because of the snow,” Mr. Monzo said. “Our appropriations for the snow just on the municipal side is $75,000. We spent about $27,000 last year and a light reimbursement on the condo side. If our snow (amounts were) the same as last year, then the tax rate would’ve stayed flat.”
If adopted, the tax rate for 2014 budget would be 44.1 cents per $100 of assessed value. In 2013, the tax rate was 43.05 cents per $100 of assessed value.
The increase would increase taxes for the average homeowner by $24, or $2 per month, officials said. The average township household, with homes assessed at $240,000, would see a municipal tax bill of about $ 1,056.
The introduced budget reflects the committee’s desire for 2014 as follows from funding a part-time administrator position, which has not been hired yet, a decrease in police overtime, the first full year of private trash pickup, reductions in the capital improvement down payment fund, a small increase in the non reimbursement engineering expenses, an increase to fund the architectural services for the civic club and a decrease in vehicle maintenance as a result sanitation privatization, he said.
Mr. Monzo said he is expecting the township to see savings “on a couple of fronts” with trash services now being privatized.
”We are going to have our first full year of contract trash collection,” Mr. Monzo said. “It’s going to save us in salaries and operating costs.”
He further noted it would also save the township on health benefits costs, pension obligations and vehicle maintenance.
”We’ve reduced the vehicle maintenance budget because we don’t have the same vehicles we had before,” he said, adding that last year the township had a $23,000 budget for repair on the sanitation truck budget and this year it is only $7,500.
”We don’t have all of our fleet out there like we use too,” he said, adding that they still have trucks that are used for certain things. “Eventually, we are going to sell those pieces of equipment.”
He discussed the township budget staying under the state-mandated 2 percent tax levy after the meeting noting “it’s a fluid calculation.”
”We are allowed to add on this year the increase in snow over what a normal expected snow would be,” he said. “We were permitted to have a tax level of a certain amount and we are about $70,000 less then what we could have taxed.”
It is a 2.46 increase, but the township was permitted to have an increase of a considerable amount more, approximately a 4 percent increase, he said.
”We made other adjustments in the budget,” he said, adding that there was a reevaluation last year and the township wanted to “stabilize the taxes locally at least.”
A public hearing on the spending plan is set for April 23 at 7:30 p.m.

