Monroe taxes to increase with 2008 municipal tab BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer MONROE- Under the 2008municipal budget, residents can expect to pay close to $100 more in property taxes on an average home than they did last year. For the homeowner with property assessed at the township average of $174,226, the yearly tax bill will be $1,068, a $98 increase from last year. "Property taxes inMonroe Township remain among the lowest in Middlesex County," Mayor Richard Pucci wrote in his annual budget message. "As an example, a comparison of total effective tax rates during the past year with Old Bridge and East Brunswick, our largest bordering communities with similar forms of government, shows Monroe taxpayers paying far less." Old Bridge residents paid 20 percent more, and East Brunswick residents paid 37 percentmore thanMonroe homeowners in 2007, according to Pucci. Despite differences in tax bills from other towns, Monroe is sharing in the financial burdens of every municipality in New Jersey. State pension bills, phased in at 20 percent per year over five years, ballooned this year. Gas, diesel and electric rates have also increased. These factors, combined with a $1 million anticipated reduction in delinquent tax revenue collected during the coming year, comprise about 74 percent of the 5.9-cent tax rate increase, Pucci stated. Township officials will use funds to maintain a high quality of services offered to residents, the mayor said. "An aggressive effort to obtain open space and preserve farmland throughout the township remains our number one priority," Pucci stated. In preparing to continue preservation efforts, the Township Council introduced a measure that would repeal the township's Economic Development Commission, replacing it with an Open Space and Farmland Preservation Commission, according to Council President Gerald Tamburro. "We have always said that it was our intention to keep 50 percent of the town as open space," Tamburro said. "To reinforce that, we aremoving forward to preserve as much open space as possible." Officials are also planning to expand parks and recreational facilities for residents. Phase I of the Veteran's Park project on Avenue K in the Outcalt section, including a water-spray park and tot playground, is nearing completion. Phase II, slated for the year ahead, will include baseball and soccer fields, according to Pucci. Expansion of the baseball fields in JamesMonroe Park, as well as initial funding for bike paths in the township, are both on the 2008 agenda. Construction on the township library and community center expansion projects will continue, and preliminary work on the new Senior Center will be ongoing, Pucci said. In line with the library's expansion will be the purchase of new books and other materials for its patrons. Paving and other road improvement projects are planned for this year, and 40 spaces are slated for addition to the township's existing park-and-ride facility onApplegarth Road.