MANALAPAN – The Township Committee has adopted a $36.98 million budget to fund the operation of Manalapan during 2021. The budget will be supported by the collection of $25.18 million in taxes from the township’s residential and commercial property owners.
During a meeting on May 26, Mayor Jack McNaboe, Deputy Mayor Susan Cohen, Committeeman Eric Nelson, Committeeman Barry Jacobson and Committeewoman Mary Ann Musich voted “yes” on a motion to adopt the budget.
“This is a budget that invests in the town,” McNaboe said. “Hopefully when people look at the budget they will find value for their dollar. A lot of hard work (on the budget) was done by the people in the municipal building and I want to thank them for that work.”
Township Administrator Tara Lovrich said the 2021 budget accounts for increases in the cost of garbage collection and recycling collection, plus a $650,000 bill for snow removal in February.
Selected appropriations in the 2021 municipal budget include the following line items: employee group insurance, $3.65 million; general liability insurance, $581,313; police salaries and wages, $7.94 million; police, other expenses, $296,832; streets and roads salaries and wages, $1.75 million; streets and roads, other expenses, $209,500; sanitation/solid waste collection, other expenses, $2.21 million; landfill disposal costs, $2.02 million; payment to Police and Firemen’s Retirement System of New Jersey, $2.24 million; payment to Social Security System, $940,000; payment to Public Employees’ Retirement System, $759,853; payment of bond principal, $2.14 million; and interest on bonds, $760,651.
Manalapan’s 2019 budget totaled $34.49 million and was supported by a tax levy of $22.96 million; the receipt of $3.87 million in state aid; and the appropriation of $3.5 million from the surplus fund.
The average home was assessed at $448,180, the municipal tax rate was 33.1 cents per $100 of assessed valuation and the owner of that home paid $1,483 in municipal taxes.
Manalapan’s 2020 budget totaled $34.91 million and was supported by a tax levy of $23.54 million; the receipt of $3.87 million in state aid; and the appropriation of $3.5 million from the surplus fund.
The average home was assessed at $453,733, the municipal tax rate was 33.4 cents per $100 of assessed valuation and the owner of that home paid $1,515 in municipal taxes.
Manalapan’s 2021 budget totals $36.98 million and will be supported by a tax levy of $25.18 million; the receipt of $3.87 million in state aid; and the appropriation of $4 million from the surplus fund.
The average home is assessed at $460,978, the municipal tax rate is projected to be 35.1 cents per $100 of assessed valuation and the owner of that home will pay about $1,618 in municipal taxes.
Municipal taxes are one item on a property owner’s tax bill, which also includes Monmouth County taxes, Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District taxes, Freehold Regional High School District taxes and a fire district tax.
The total amount of taxes a property owner pays is determined by the assessed valuation of his home and/or property and the tax rate that is set by each taxing entity.
Lovrich said for every $1 in taxes a Manalapan property owner pays, 16% (i.e., 16 cents) goes to the township, 15% (15 cents) goes to Monmouth County, 46% (46 cents) goes to the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District, 20% (20 cents) goes to the Freehold Regional High School District, 2% (2 cents) goes to a municipal fire district and 1% (1 cent) goes to municipal open space.
In other business on May 26, McNaboe, Cohen, Nelson, Jacobson and Musich voted “yes” on a motion to adopt a bond ordinance providing for capital improvements and the acquisition of capital equipment.
The ordinance appropriates a total of $2.99 million for the improvements and the equipment and authorizes the issuance of $2.44 million in bonds and notes to finance a portion of the costs.