The official introduction of the 2016 Shamong Township municipal budget occurred at last week’s township committee meeting.
After obtaining $3,238,704 in revenue last year, the township is now anticipating $3,169,440 in 2016.
However, this drop of more than $69,000 will likely be significantly decreased by revenue that is not anticipated by the township.
“Odds and ends is what we call that,” Township Administrator Sue Onorato said.
The township doesn’t build this number into the budget because it doesn’t have an established number yet, and the administration views it as a nice addition to the surplus down the road.
The committee anticipates a two-cent increase in the local purpose tax, meaning Shamong residents living in the average assessed home of just less than $308,000 will pay an extra $61.60 in annual municipal taxes. In total, Onorato said the average Shamong homeowner would pay about $250 more in property taxes this year, when considering municipal and school tax increases. The K-8 school district’s proposed budget includes a $120.95 average increase, while the Lenape Regional High School District’s proposed budget includes a $62.94 average increase.
While the committee was not thrilled about the potential increase being implemented, members were happy to keep it to about half of last year’s $510 increase.
“It’s never good to have taxes increasing, but at least it’s not climbing at the rate it did last year,” Onorato said.
The schools play a big part in this total number. Shamong used to see a modest to no increase from the LRHSD tax a few years ago, but now it is increasing.
As Onorato put it, the district will not be showing any relief in the near future, according to projections.
“This is just where we are in the regional school tax at this time,” Onorato said.
The township did provide some good news at the meeting, notifying residents it had received a $220,000 grant from the state Department of Transportation to repair Oak Shade Road and a $150,000 Burlington County Municipal Park Grant, which the committee plans to put toward the repaving of the tennis courts at Dingletown and also the tennis and basketball courts at Stony Creek.
The committee has been aggressive in the pursuit of these grants to help lessen the blow for taxpayers.
It is also still waiting for some potential good news from the Federal Emergency Management Agency regarding funds it could be awarded from winter storm Jonas.
“At this point, we’re fighting this budget to try to keep it down for all of our residents,” Committeeman Martin Mozitis said.
“This committee is really geared toward not raising taxes,” Deputy Mayor Michael Di Croce said. “People have had enough. We need to be going in the opposite direction.”
The committee approved the introduction of the 2016 budget and will host the second reading and public hearing of the budget on May 3.
