N.B. to receive $150K in state aid
Will offset municipal tax rate increase by about 2 cents
BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer

North Brunswick announced it will be receiving $150,000 in extraordinary aid from the state general fund for the fiscal year 2006 municipal budget.

“We’re grateful to receive any assistance. The $150,000 helps us to reduce our taxes almost a full tax point,” Mayor Francis “Mac” Womack said.

At the Township Council workshop meeting on Tuesday, Business Administrator Robert Lombard announced that the aid will be used this year for financial relief and a lower levy in the spring portion of the budget. The tax rate increase will now be just above 5 cents, instead of the 7-cent hike that would have occurred without the state aid.

The discretionary grant is used as short-term relief for townships with tax increases, and benefits towns that need assistance with their fiscal responsibility. Although the township requested $700,000, the state deemed North Brunswick fiscally responsible with a growing ratable base, so it did not qualify for the full amount, according to Lombard.

The total municipal budget is approximately $38.7 million, or about $3 million over last year, due to increases in areas such as salaries, health insurance, pension, condominium and apartment services, debt service and capital improvements and reserved money for uncollected taxes. The township hopes that the receipt of grant funding in the near future will also help offset the local tax burden.

“The truth is that this year involved several unanticipated expenses thrust upon us by the state and we don’t anticipate these expenses in the future. We believe the tax rate will be stabilized in future years and the receipt of extraordinary aid will not be an issue,” Womack said.

The budget was formally introduced in September, after which the application for aid was made to and evaluated by the Division of Local Government Services. The aid will go specifically towards tax relief as part of the general fund.

The council is expected to vote to accept the state funds at Monday’s meeting.