2012 Budget With Average $63 Tax Hike Introduced

Lacey property owners will pay an average $63 more annually if the Township Committee approves the 2012 municipal budget.

The governing body unanimously voted Thursday 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, Chief Financial Officer Adrian Fanning said previously in a letter to the committee.

Township Administrator/Clerk Veronica Laureigh outlined these 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

Prior to the vote to introduce the budget, the committee also unanimously voted to defer $1.1 million in school taxes toward the municipal budget itself.

Though he voted affirmatively for that measure, Committeeman Sean Sharkey said that while he understood the concept for deferment of school taxes, he did not like the prospect of the governing body “using it to fill a hole in our budget.”

In addition, the committee similarly voted to exceed municipal budget appropriation limits of 2.5 percent to establish a CAP Bank — money that is banked for the next two years, and could be accessed to account for emergency spending, according to township Attorney Lauren Staiger.

“We do it every three years, but we haven’t drawn on (those funds) since we last established the CAP Bank. It’s like buying an insurance policy, but not using it,” said Committeeman Gary Quinn.

In the public comment session, Forked River resident Bill Moss ran down a comprehensive list of tax rate distribution figures at the township, county and school levels, and the proportion of services received by Lacey residents from those same entities — but made the overarching point that residents receive so many services from the township of Lacey, yet see only 14.1 percent of their tax dollars go to support the municipality.

“Only 14 percent of everything we pay in taxes is what we pay towards our city, but luckily, I can say that we get a lot more from our city than what we do from our county,” said Moss.

Fellow Forked River resident Regina Discenza chimed in that the township shouldn’t use its figurative “credit card” by bonding out projects for the time being. “Hopefully, that will open up funds for next year’s budget,” she said.

Resident Otto Zehl offered advice to the governing body on crafting the budget that he said was given to him by his father when money was tight during the era of the Great Depression: “You have to separate your wants from your needs,” he said.

A public hearing on the municipal budget will take place on Thursday, May 24, at 7 p.m. in the committee chambers of the . Laureigh also announced that a budget summary would soon be made available to the public.