Township Committee Unhappy with Preliminary Budget

Depending on how a property owner fared in the township-wide tax assessment, residents could see the municipal portion of their property tax bill go up or down for 2011-2012.

Either way, the tentative budget, as introduced by the Barnegat Township Committee on Friday, shows an increase in the municipal tax rate of $0.120 per $100 of assessed value bringing the tax rate up to $0.722 per $100 of assessed value.

A property owner with a home assessed at the township average of $238,167 would pay $1,720 for the year. The average assessed value prior to the revaluation was $297,351 while the tax rate was $0.602 per $100 of assessed value, which resulted in a payment of $1,790. That figure does not include the school or county taxes.

The vote was 4-1 with Township Committeeman Leonard Morano voting no. The four remaining committee members voted yes to introduce the budget but with reservations.

“Let the state take it from here,” Morano said.

“I’ll vote yes, but I’m not happy with the budget. I’m only voting yes because it’s being introduced.  I think it’s a work in progress,” said Committeeman Al Bille.

Township Administrator David Breeden attributed the increase to a decrease in property values due to the 2010 reassessment. Such a reduction in property values lowers the amount of funds the township will take in this year, Breeden said.

The budget totals $21,314,912.49. The operational budget, minus $820,634.14 from tax appeals, totals $20,494,278.35. This figure is $457,480.55 lower than last year’s budget or 2.2 percent less.

The committee did not make the actual budget available to the public or the press. Mayor Jeffrey Melchiondo said it would be available on Tuesday.

“I’m not going to talk about the details of the budget because we don’t have the details,” resident Marianne Clemente told the committee.

After the meeting Melchiondo said that five positions will be eliminated through attrition. “They are mostly on the low end of the pay scale,” he said.

The mayor said he could not comment on other cuts because of negotiations with union members. “It’s sensitive. It puts the negotiations in jeopardy,” he said.

 The committee expects to hold a public hearing on the budget in late July or early August.

 Barnegat Patch will continue to update this story.