Central Regional Tax Rate Up In Four Of Five Sending Districts

by Patricia A. Miller

Just how much the school tax rate for residents who live in towns serviced by the Central Regional School District depends on where they live.

The Central Regional Board of Education approved a $38,161,508 budget at the April 28 board meeting. The total budget includes debt service, Business Administrator Kevin O'Shea said.

The amount to be raised by taxation is $30,356,059, up 2.75 percent from last year. But the debt service tax levy is falling, so the overall combined tax levy is only increasing by 1.17 percent, he said.

"Our bonds from past projects are being paid down and will continue to decline until they are paid off in 2021," O'Shea said.

Tax rates for each $100 of assessed of valuation for each sending town include:

Berkeley - average home assessed at $199,200 - translates into a $1.86 monthly increase.

Island Heights - average home assessed at $383,638 - translates into $4.85 increase.just over one cent.

Seaside Heights -average home assessed at $225,800, -$13.17 monthly increase.

Seaside Park - average home assessed at $548,478 - translates into $34.01 monthly decrease.

Ocean Gate - average home assessed at $198,000. Translates into a 10.5 cent increase. But the borough was recently reassessed, so the actual tax impact will vary by household based on a variety of factors. The borough's ratables declined by 15 percent as a result of the assessment, O'Shea said.

The good news is that the 2016-2017 budget maintains all current programs and staffing levels, he said.

The district plans to replace all the windows and lintels at the Central Regional Middle School.

"The windows in the middle school were not installed correctly when the building was constructed in 1980 and we are looking to replace the windows and make the proper corrections to the lintels throughout the building," O'Shea said .

The district will use $1.3 million in Choice Funds for facility upgrades, textbooks, classroom initiatives and equipment, he said.

"It is this extra funding that we have been receiving the past several years that will go along way towards us hopefully not having to ask the voters for extra tax money for facility needs," he said. "In this way this money is providing us taxpayer relief."

State aid is down and is still below 2009-2010 levels by almost $650,000, according to the budget presentation.

"Base state aid is expected to be stagnant for the next several years, due to state budget problems and the pension crisis," the presentation states.