Howell council adopts $43.8M budget for 2008 BY MARK ROSMAN Staff Writer HOWELL - A municipal budget for 2008 that totals $43.8 million was recently adopted by the Township Council. The total budget is down $1 million from Howell's 2007 spending plan, which amounted to $44.8 million. In developing the budget for this year, spending reductions were achieved in part by eliminating 14 positions, some through attrition and eight through layoffs, according to Howell's Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey Filiatreault. As part of the budget process, municipal officials combined the laborers from the Department of Public Works and the laborers for the Department of Parks and Recreation into a combined labor pool, Filiatreault said. This new unified work force will be assigned tasks as needed in the municipality. In order to support the budget, the township will collect a total of $18.3 million in property taxes from Howell's residential and commercial property owners. This represents an increase of $100,000 from the 2007 tax levy of $18.2 million. The remainder of the budget revenue comes from surplus funds, license and permit fees, and delinquent tax receipts. The municipal tax rate will remain at 26.6 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, according to Filiatreault. That is the same municipal tax rate as 2007. That means the owner of a home that has been assessed at the township average of $350,000 will continue to pay $931 in municipal taxes in 2008, the same amount as 2007. The owner of a home that has been assessed at $500,000 will continue to pay $1,330 in municipal taxes in 2008, the same amount as 2007. The owner of a home that has been assessed at $200,000 will continue to pay $532 in municipal taxes in 2008, the same amount as 2007. Municipal taxes are one part of a property owner's overall tax bill, which also included Howell K-8 School District taxes, Freehold Regional High School District taxes, Monmouth County taxes and other assessments. Significant increases will be seen this year in the payments Howell is required to make to the Police and Fire Retirement System and to the Public Employees Retirement System. According to Filiatreault, the payment to the Police and Fire Retirement System will be $1.8 million in 2008. That is an increase of $500,000 from the 2007 payment of $1.3 million. The payment to the Public Employees Retirement System will be $483,000 in 2008. That is an increase of $200,000 from the 2007 payment of $283,000. The combined increase in pension payments for 2008 is $700,000. The appropriation for utilities is increasing from $1.6 million in 2007 to $1.9 million in 2008 and most of that increase is due to the rising price of gasoline (for police cars and other public vehicles) and heating oil, according to Filiatreault.