2011 Municipal Budget Reflects Economic Conditions

Economic conditions have had a significant impact in the development of the township’s proposed 2011 , which was discussed during a public hearing Monday.

While the numbers indicate a decrease of 0.9287 percent over last year’s budget, decreases in anticipated revenues in several areas will require about $20.3 million to be raised through property taxes, up from last year’s $19.46 million and from the $17 million figure of about five years ago.

As a result, property taxes for a home valued at $410,000 will see an increase of $44.

Director of Finance Natasha Turchan provided the township council and the few members of the public in attendance at Monday's public hearing with a summary of the proposed budget. The budget incorporates revenue decreases in areas such as surplus, state aid and delinquent taxes, all of which are consequences of current economic conditions, she said.

Among the main contributors to increases are hikes in unemployment costs [up 64.61 percent], health insurance [up 9.53 percent], utilities [up 9.49 percent], pension costs [up 8.92 percent] and reserve for uncollected taxes [up 5 percent], all areas over which the township has almost no control.

While increases in costs for police, public works and non-union municipal employees are incorporated into existing contracts, the unions have made concessions, including furlough days, that Turchan said, “pretty much make those increases almost zero.”

Hotel contributions to the budget are down—another factor attributed to the economy—but the township will see an additional $200,000 come into the budget from increased rents at the Bridgewater Commons Mall.

The 2011 budget continues a decrease in the number of municipal employees from 232 full- and part-time employees in 2009 to 204 in 2011, while “still providing all the services we still provided before,” Turchan said.

Final adoption of the budget is scheduled for April 14.