By Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
For the fourth consecutive year, officials in Hillsborough were touting a flat municipal tax rate as they introduced the 2017 municipal budget on Tuesday., If passed by the committee next month, the proposed $28.9 million budget will call for households throughout the township to contribute to the municipality’s daily operation at a rate of 33 cents per $100 of assessed value., “It has been the position of this township committee to take a fiscally responsible stand when dealing with the township’s finances,” Mayor Carl Suraci said., Since 2015, homes assessed at $350,000 have had to pay $1,155 a year in taxes. Officials said the taxes have continued to remain flat thanks to an increase of $112.5 million in the township’s total ratable value., “The increase in ratable value within the township helps to hold the municipal property tax flat … by providing more dollars over which the tax levy can be dispersed,” Hillsborough Chief Financial Officer Nancy Costa said., Officials said the proposed budget saw an overall decrease from the previous year, as attrition in the police department brought a $43,288 reduction in public safety salaries, insurance and benefits costs decreased by $182,483 and utilities costs dropped by $83,000. The mild winter also caused a reduction in public works costs by $115,000., In total, the budget saw a spending reduction of $423,771., The proposed budget comes with a tax levy of $18.9 million, or 1.994 percent., Officials said the township was able to keep that figure under the state mandated two percent cap without utilizing allowable levy cap exceptions for the seventh year in a row., Deputy Mayor Gloria McCauley said the township could have utilized exceptions on items such as pension obligation increases, deferred charges to future taxation, health insurance increases and increases in debt service and capital improvements, but the governing body opted out of that course of action., “If the township were to take advantage of the allowable exceptions and exceed the levy cap, the taxpayers would have incurred an additional $194,071 in taxes,” she said., Though the tax front was touted by officials, the anticipated revenue of just more than $10 million for 2017 showed a downturn from the previous year due to decreases in licenses and fees, municipal court revenues, interest on delinquent taxes and uniform construction code fees., Officials said decreases in the township’s court revenues stemmed from a reduction in available grants for enforcement funding., State aid also remained at the same level since 2010, with funding from Trenton totaling nearly $3.27 million., With the budget slated for a second reading and vote on May 23, Suraci said residents can find the budget document on the township website before attending the public hearing., “Introducing a balanced municipal budget is never an easy task,” he said. “However, by maintaining the business-like approach to government and managing taxpayer dollars in a fiscally prudent way, we are once again able to achieve a balanced budget.”
