BY ELAINE VAN DEVELDE
Staff Writer
Instead of digging into their pockets for additional tax money this year, Middlesex County residents can bank on saving a few cents.
With the adoption of a $323.8 million county budget on March 15, the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders was able to lop off 2.9 cents in county taxes per $100 of assessed property valuation.
The tax cut, Freeholder Director David B. Crabiel said, comes as a result of staff layoffs, an influx of 11.2 percent non-tax revenues, a $9 billion increase in county property values and appropriations reductions. In addition, $9.5 million in surplus funds were used to cut the tax rate, he said. Still, Crabiel said, the county’s surplus remains $100,000 higher than last year’s because of the added revenue.
Proud that the county’s share of property taxes has remained stable for the 11th consecutive year, Crabiel, in a prepared statement, credited the Freeholders with making "tough choices, including the decision to lay off staff, but the taxpayers of this county deserve a fiscally responsive government.."
The 2.9-cent reduction came as an added .4-cent respite from when the budget was initially introduced. Originally, the Freeholders said the equalized tax rate would drop by 2.5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation this year. The added .4-cent reduction came when another $3 million in spending was shaved from the preliminary plan.
"We took an extremely hard look at all our expenses and were able to identify other appropriations to cut," Crabiel said.
The leaner budget includes the elimination of numerous county jobs; 41 employees will be laid off; 28 vacant positions will be cut; and another 20 positions will be eliminated by the end of the year through attrition, privatization and forced termination.
Without pinpointing precisely which positions will be eliminated, Crabiel said that every county department will see cuts.
However, he said, the county corrections department will be "hit harder than most." Some of that department’s work will be handled by independent contractors in the private sector.
No employees who will be cut from the county payroll have been notified yet. Before notification, the termination plan must be approved first by the state’s Department of Personnel since the hiring and firing of civil service positions, such as those in the county government, is within its jurisdiction.
The layoffs will start effective July 1, Crabiel said.
Despite the tax rate decrease, the budget will spike 6 percent from last year, while the overall amount to be raised through taxes will also rise. Crabiel, however, said he is committed to cutting the county’s overall tax levy in 2005.