Township Council to Meet

The East Brunswick Township Council will meet tonight (Monday, July 11), at 8 p.m. in the Municipal Court Room.

On tonight's agenda is a resolution to finally schedule a public hearing and adoption of the 2011 .

The spending plan calls for a municipal tax rate of $1.82 per $100 of assessed valuation. Under that rate, the owner of a home assessed at $100,000 can expect to pay $1,820 in municipal purpose taxes this year.

This year’s budget calls for about $750,000 less in spending. Solid waste/recycling will be reduced by $200,00, from $3.8 million last year to $3.6 million this year; travel, dues and training is expected to cost $241,000, down from $290,00; and recreation will cost $494000, down from $592,000. The reduction in recreation costs can be attribute to the retirement of several employees. Overall, the number of township employees has declined by 20 employees over the last five years, including 10 this year, according to Mayor David Stahl said.

Also being reduced is debt service - $5.615 million for 2011, down from $5.8 million in 2010.

Offsetting some of those reductions is an increase in the cost the township pays for pensions. East Brunswick expects to pay $4.383 million or 7.7 percent of the budget, this year.

Of that, the township expects to pay $1.488 million in non-police and fire pensions this year, up from the $1.013 million it paid in 2010. In 2006, the township paid $256,000; in 2007 it paid $455,000; in 2008 it paid $829,000 and in 2009 it paid $985,000. That’s an increase of $1.232 million over the last five years.

For police and fire pension costs, the township expects to pay $2.796 million this year, up from $2.326 in 2010. In 2006, the township’s obligation was $844,000; in 2007 it was $1.298 million; in 2008 it was $2.093 million; and in 2009 it was $2.215 million.

Healthcare costs also are expected to increase, to $7.567 million. However, he said the township has done a good job at containing those costs and has experienced only an 8 percent increase over the last three years.

Other costs include $3.244 million for the East Brunswick Public Library, the same as last year. The township is asking for $576,000 for snow removal this year, up from last year’s $311,000. The township exceeded last year’s budget and spent approximately $600,000 on snow removal. This year, the coffers are almost empty, and just $40,000 remains.