Municipal Tax Rate To Remain Stable In Hazlet

HAZLET, NJ — The Hazlet Township Committee introduced a 2022 municipal budget that calls for no increase in the tax rate for the third year in a row, according to the township.

The committee presented its $24.5 million budget on June 28. A public hearing and vote on the proposed budget is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Aug. 2, and the committee may adopt the budget that evening, the township website says.

Municipal taxes are only one part of the total property tax bill; other taxing entities include the Hazlet School District and Monmouth County, the township says.

“We are doing what we have to do,” said Mayor Michael Sachs. “We understand the impact of inflation on our residents, and this is how we are able to help out, by keeping our tax rate stable.”

The proposed municipal tax rate is 56.3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The owner of the average home assessed at $382,109 would pay $2,150 in municipal taxes in 2022.

Revenue sources include the collection of $16.6 million in taxes from Hazlet’s residential and commercial property owners, $1.9 million in state aid and $2.6 million from the township’s surplus, the township says.

“The biggest impact to the budget was the increase in capital contributions and bond payments, by over $2 million, to pay for our road program and other capital improvements,” said Deputy Mayor Mike Glackin. “We were able to lock in low rates for long term bonds to improve our streets. This long-term road program has been the largest ongoing capital improvement program, perhaps in Hazlet history.”

The budget includes a request from the Board of Education to fund two additional Special Law Enforcement Officers (SLEOs) in the schools, a plan many districts are implementing to improve school security.

In 2022, Hazlet’s municipal budget accounts for 23 percent of a property owner’s total tax bill; school taxes represent 63 percent; Monmouth County taxes account for 11 percent; Hazlet Fire District, 3 percent and the municipal open space tax, 0.4 percent, according to the township.

Appropriations in the 2022 municipal budget include: salaries and wages, $8.8 million; other expenses, $8.5 million; statutory and deferred charges, $2.5 million; reserve for uncollected taxes, $1.1 million; and debt service, $1.8 million, according to the township website.