By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI
Bradley Beachs average homeowner can expect an increase of about $216 in their tax bills this year.
The figure is based on the average home assessment of $500,000.
Mayor Julie Schreck said the spending plan, which is scheduled to be introduced July 22, includes a 4.3-cent increase in the municipal tax rate. There will be no increase in sewer rates.
Schreck said in the past the borough had used surplus in the sewer budget to offset municipal tax increases.
The mayor said she did not want to use the sewer surplus this year, even in light of $80,000 in reduced state aid, in order to bring clarity to the budget.
Now is the day of reckoning, she said. I would rather use taxes, not sewer money to have clarity on what you are paying for.
Schreck said she believes it will make the borough more disciplined and focused on how to control costs.
Schreck said if $150,000 was taken from the sewer budget, as has been done in the past, residents would be seeing a 22 percent increase in sewer bills for the third quarter.
With $200,000 surplus funds in the sewer budget, that would leave only $50,000 in surplus.
Schreck said that most of the increase in this years budget is due to rising pension costs, $178,000 this year, and skyrocketing fuel costs.
Schreck said rates charged by the Neptune Township Sewerage Authority continue to go up as well.
Schreck acknowledged the increase will not be welcome news to residents but is unavoidable.
Thats a tax increase for me and my family as well, she said.
The mayor said her real concern is for next years budget when the borough will incur an increase in debt service and will be fully funding the boroughs pension plan.
We have some difficult years ahead of us, she said.
The total budget is $7,397,322.26 reflecting an increase of $489,526 from last year.
At a budget workshop Monday council looked for ways to reappropriate costs.
They agreed to cut $5,000 from the mayor and councils budget for public relations, but gave $2,000 back to the fire department.
Schreck explained that if the boroughs fire equipment is not up to date, providing and receiving mutual aid from other towns could be put at risk.
One bright spot were municipal court fines and costs, which brought in and additional $67,240 more than projected.
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It is actually refreshing to see some honesty in Bradley Beach. For those of you who did not know, every Mayoral election year Mr. Schueler would rob from the sewer department so he did not raise municipal taxes.
Of course, as Ms. Schreck stated, Mr. Schueler would then raise the sewer bill which is not deductible on your federal taxes. I did not vote for you Ms. Schreck but this is one I appreciate. Honesty is much easier to deal with even if taxes are going up.
Perhaps we really do not need both a Borough Clerk and an administrator?