Committee to Vote to Adopt Municipal Budget Thursday

The Township Committee will vote to adopt the municipal budget, which will raise taxes $63.24 for the year for the average Lacey homeowner at its 7 p.m. meeting on Thursday, June 14. Visit Lacey Patch for live coverage.

During last month’s meeting, the committee held a public hearing but tabled adopting the budget after the rather than self-funding the emergency appropriation that was approved in December 2011 to reimburse furloughed employees.

“This does happen sometimes,” Township Attorney Lauren Staiger said. “It is procedurally fine. It’s just a little glitch that we hit.”

The state reviews municipal budgets every three years — this year being Lacey’s, Chief Financial Officer Adrian Fanning said. The township got the go-ahead to hold the public hearing on the budget but could not move forward with the adoption.

During the fall of 2011, the township faced a legal battle against two local unions after the Committee served 22 furlough days to employees in 2010. The Teamsters Union Local 97 won through arbitration, and the Communications Workers of America Local 1088 reached a settlement agreement with the township, forcing the  in the amount of $218,250.

The township is required by the state to borrow prior to adopting the budget, Fanning said. Once the township has a note, then the Committee can approve the budget.

With that mishap taken care of, the budget is back on the agenda.

The governing body  to introduce the spending plan that will raise $9,767,233.13 via taxation. The average homeowner, with property assessed at $317,924, will pay $5.27 more a month or $63.24 per year.

In May, Committeeman Sean Sharkey and Committeewoman Helen DelaCruz continued to seek additional cuts to lessen the tax burden.

Chief Financial Officer Adrian Fanning said that further cuts would result in shortfalls by the end of the year.

DelaCruz gave up her $7,020 salary.

Below are the basic figures for the 2012 fiscal year budget:

General Appropriations

$25,170,621.05

Reserve for Uncollected Taxes

$1,354,550.73

Total General Appropriations

$26,545,171.85

Less Anticipated Revenues

$16,757,938.72

Amount to be Raised by Taxes

$9,767,233.13