Freehold Borough council adopts $14M budget for 2008
Plan includes salary increase for mayor, council
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
Members of the Freehold Borough Council have adopted a $14 million budget to fund the operation of Freehold Borough in 2008.

Officials expect to raise $7.7 million through a local property tax levy to support the budget, according to Borough Administrator Joseph Bellina.

According to figures provided by Bellina, Freehold Borough's municipal tax rate will rise 5.9 cents, from 65.9 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to 71.8 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

That means the owner of a home assessed at the borough average of $259,000 will pay about $1,860 in municipal taxes in 2008, which is up $150 from the 2007 municipal tax bill.

In a budget message, borough officials said the police pension line item is increasing by an "astronomical" $243,000 in 2008 (from $378,983 in 2007 to $621,776 in 2008) and the public employee pension line item is increasing by $46,000 in 2008 (from $51,706 in 2007 to $97,709 in 2008).

Also included in the budget are increases in salaries for the mayor and councilmembers. That salary line will rise from a total of $50,048 in 2007 to a total of $51,500 in 2008, an increase of $1,452.

Mayor Michael Wilson's salary will increase from $9,732 in 2007 to $10,076 in 2008. Salaries for the five council members will go from $8,063 in 2007 to $8,347 in 2008, the administrator said.

Bellina said the increase in salaries for the mayor and council members is the same increase all borough employees will receive this year.

He said police pensions, public employee pensions and a $180,000 cut in state aid account for 4.4 cents of the total 5.9-cent increase. Freehold Borough will receive $1.6 million in state aid this year.

Also on the rise are gasoline costs, which Bellina said will be $30,000 higher in 2008 than in 2007. He also said other utility costs are increasing as well. He said health benefits are up $110,000 from 2007.

According to Bellina, public safety expenses account for a significant portion of the budget, with police salaries and wages amounting to $3.5 million and other police expenses totaling $162,600. Police dispatch salaries and wages amount to $304,000 and other police dispatch expenses total $2,400.

Also under public safety are fire salaries and wages of $111,385 and other fire expenses of $102,500.

The borough will pay a total of $132,000 into the Length of Service Awards Program (LOSAP) that is provided to qualified members of the Freehold Fire Department and to the Freehold First Aid and Emergency Squad.