Borough approves
3.9¢ tax hike for ‘03
By jennifer dome
Staff Writer
ALLENTOWN — Although the snow may finally have melted, the harsh winter will take its toll on the community’s pocketbook.
Minor amendments were made to the 2003 municipal budget at the Borough Council’s March 25 meeting, including moving the $24,000 cost for this year’s snow removal outside the state’s cap, as required by state officials.
Increased costs for fire and first aid services are among the factors that are contributing to a 3.9-cent tax increase in this year’s budget.
Chief Financial Officer Robert Benick said that the borough’s portion of the property tax rate will increase from the current rate of 80 cents to a projected rate of 83.9 cents per $100 of assessed property value.
The 3.9-cent increase would mean that a borough resident with a home assessed at $150,000 would pay an additional $58.50 per year in property taxes for the municipal services.
The total general operating fund for the municipal budget is projected to be $1,712,806 this year, Benick said.
Among the budgeted capital improvement projects is $500,000 for a paving project in the Lakeview and Timberglen developments. Officials also said that funds to complete the main entrance to Heritage Park and a $35,000 grant to construct a bicycle path were also included in the 2003 budget.
Although borough officials announced at the March 25 meeting that the borough would receive a $45,000 Centers of Place Grant from the state Department of Transportation, Benick said he had not received the official paperwork and it was not yet included in this year’s budget.
Mayor Stuart Fierstein said last week that the grant will help with improvements for the north area of Main Street.
"I think it’ll go a long way to the continued build-up of the downtown," Fierstein said.
The largest increase projected in the budget was in the amount the borough is allocating for fire services, Benick said.
He said that the amount budgeted for fire services this year is expected to increase $57,500 over what the borough spent last year. The additional funds will cover the borough’s portion of the costs for additional full-time firefighters at the Hope Fire Company who were hired at the end of last year, he said.
Allentown shares fire and first aid services with neighboring Upper Freehold, which covers the remainder of the costs.
Under preliminary budget figures released by the Upper Freehold Regional School District (UFRSD) recently, Allentown residents are expected to see a double-digit school tax increase.
UFRSD is projecting that the school tax rate for Allentown will go up 14 cents to $2.26 per $100 of assessed property value, which would translate into an increase of $210 per year on a $150,000 home.