The Township Committee has shaved the increase in local taxes by eliminating vacant positions on the municipal workforce.
That means the $74.14 million budget introduced in May was reduced to $73.87 million, and the amount to be raised by taxes was cut by more than $250,000, to $39.66 million. The reduction was achieved without layoffs.
The estimated municipal tax rate is now 50.5 cents per $100 of assessed value, down about three-tenths of a cent from what was originally projected.
That means the owner of a home valued at $300,000, the estimated township average, will pay $1,514 in municipal taxes annually, about $10 less than originally estimated.
The new spending plan was accepted by a 4-0 vote. Committeeman Charles Cunliffe was absent.
(Source: Asbury Park Press)
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6 Responses
Sounds admirable, but my thoughts are the following: There is a construction boom and there are housing purchases in Lakewood, thank heaven; unparalleled in any other county in the state or country. There should be property tax money all over the place raising the percentage of revenue TREMENDOUSLY. Also, why are these jobs vacant? Lakewood is falling behind in keeping up with a fitting infrastructure for the population explosion going on here. The committee thinks it’s doing well, but it only sees the tree in this matter and not the forest.
You have to love the picture placed in this story. “Welcome to Hispanic Downtown Lakewood.” The committee should do something about that too. Too far for illegals to walk to a waiting area provided by local merchants, but not too difficult to get to Walmart?
The APP story quoted here reads like a press release from the Township committee by playing down how much the increase is, only telling you how much the decrease is from what was proposed, masking the total amount of the cut (which is rather small at $270,000 or 3/10 of 1% of the budget. Spending is out of control.
PS. Taxes for municipal purposes (not including School or county taxes) are still going up by 4.4 million.
raise it by over 10% – then reduce it by 3/10 of 1% – and look we saved you money?
why is no one talking a bout the 5m that the town spent on buying a parking lot on rt9 and 4th st