Municipal taxes flat under ’06 Monroe tab
BY SETH MANDEL
Staff Writer

MONROE — Despite a spending increase of more than $3 million, the municipal budget for 2006 has been introduced without a tax increase.

Under the $35.6 million plan, the municipal tax rate will remain 56 cents per $100 of assessed valuation for the second consecutive year.

In a prepared statement, Mayor Richard Pucci said that 677 homes were purchased in 2005, about half of which were age-restricted senior residences. The new homes increase the municipal tax base.

“Property taxes in Monroe Township remain among the lowest in Middlesex County,” Pucci said, adding that residents in nearby towns of comparable size are paying approximately 20 percent more in taxes.

The stable tax rate means that the owner of a home assessed at the township average of $168,000 will pay about $940 in municipal property taxes this year.

The budget, introduced at Monday night’s meeting of the Township Council, was accompanied by the introduction of an ordinance establishing a 2006 budgetary cap bank. Both were unanimously approved.

At the meeting, resident Hy Grossman asked Township Business Administrator Wayne Hamilton about the makeup of the cap. Hamilton responded that about $19.6 million of the spending plan is within this year’s cap, while the remainder exceeds the cap. He added that the township is within its legal limits by about $500,000.

Hamilton also said that, for the first time during his tenure as administrator, the municipal portion of the property tax was reduced by 1 percent, bringing it down to 18 percent. The school board’s portion is 59 percent this year, while the county and fire districts’ represent 17 and 6 percent, respectively.

The township has appropriated about $29 million for municipal salaries and wages, as well as other operating expenses, which is an increase of almost $3 million from last year.

In his statement, Pucci outlined some of the major objectives for 2006, which include aggressive open space acquisition and farmland preservation efforts, as well as continuing work on some of last year’s budget plans, such as the expansion of recreational facilities at Outcalt Park and the proposed Avenue K Park, the proposed library and community center expansion, and plans for a new senior center.

Joe Montanti, the township’s environmental protection manager and a member of the Planning Board, recently updated the list of properties the township hopes to acquire for open space. Montanti has said that officials planned to acquire more than 1,500 acres, which would enable the township to designate a conservation area, complete a greenway, and establish walking trails throughout the township. One of those walking trails would allow residents to leave their cars at the Avenue K Park, once it is completed, and the trail would extend from the brook across the street all the way to Jamesburg.

Pucci’s statement also covered safety improvements, such as the installation of a traffic signal at Perrineville and School House roads. The current high school is located at one corner of the intersection, and the municipal offices, police station and library are located at the opposite corner, off the entrance road known as Municipal Plaza.

Also among Pucci’s safety concerns is the maintenance of strong response times for emergency responders, as the township’s population continues to grow.

The township has two new firehouses and shared EMS facilities in the works — one to serve Fire District No. 2 and the other for Fire District No. 3. The District No. 3 facility, located on Centre Drive near its intersection with Applegarth Road, has been under construction for over a year, and officials expect it to be completed in March or April.

Residents served by District No. 2 approved a $3.8 million referendum last month to fund the district’s share of a facility to be constructed on a 1-acre parcel at the intersection of Applegarth and Cranbury Half Acre roads. The township will pay the remaining $1.6 million.

Both facilities, officials have said, would dramatically reduce response times and enable emergency responders to keep up with the population increases.

The capital improvement budget for the year is $1.975 million. About 5 percent of that will be funded through grants, with the balance coming from completed projects and other sources, Pucci said. That budget will fund road improvements, storm drain improvements, and the senior center, community center and library construction.

In the statement, Pucci expressed pride in the township’s ability to maintain a stable tax rate and low crime rate while keeping property values and the quality of education high.

“All Monroe residents can take pride in a great past and can look forward to an even better future,” Pucci said.