Officials plan to introduce budget at May 28 meeting
BY KATHY BARATTA Staff Writer

MANALAPAN- Township officials have scheduled May 28 as the date they will introduce the 2008 municipal budget. The Township Committee will hold a regular meeting that night.

According to Township Administrator Tara Lovrich, "The new state-imposed cap of 4 percent gives us limits" as far as the operating budget of the various township departments is concerned.

"At this point there are no anticipated cuts in services or personnel. The projections are that everything will be kept flat and we attribute this accomplishment to efficiency in what we do here and now we can keep the services," Lovrich said.

Mayor Michelle Roth said she agreed with Lovrich, noting that the only jobs that will be lost are being lost through attrition; referring to the recent retirement of Manalapan fire inspector Gary Weiss.

She said there will be no new hiremade for that position and said the job is being done by one full-time and one-part time inspector as well as by Manalapan fire code official Rick Hogan.

Roth said a new online registration process for Manalapan's recreation programs is allowing recreation department employees to turn their attention to other matters.

The mayor said that because the numbers are going to be in a state of flux until the budget is introduced on May 28, she was not ready this week to discuss any potential impact the budget may have on the municipal tax rate.

Speaking about the options a municipality has when it comes to a budget, Lovrich said, "We have three options - raise taxes, use surplus or cut services. So our hands this year are tied."

Lovrich said when an expected cut in state aid of just under $400,000 is combined with the 4 percent cap, "You have what I have referred to as the perfect storm year where our expenses are all up, fuel costs, electricity, contractual obligations, and our investments are expected to be down about 50 percent this year."

According to Lovrich, the cut in state aid alone willmean an additional $26 annually per household that will have to be paid by the taxpayer.

Manalapan's 2007 municipal budget totaled $29.5 million and was supported through the collection of $15.2 million in local property taxes. Roth and committeemen Andrew Lucas and Richard Klauber voted to adopt the spending plan.

CommitteemanAnthony Gennaro voted against adopting the 2007 budget because he wanted to see the projected tax increase reduced. Committeewoman Susan Cohen was absent from the meeting when the 2007 budget was adopted.

Manalapan's currentmunicipal tax rate is about 25 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, which means that the owner of a home assessed at the township average of $429,600 paid about $1,074 in municipal taxes in 2007.

Manalapan's 2006 municipal budget totaled $28.8 million and was supported through the collection of $11.9 million in local property taxes.