Council cuts budget down by about half
S.B. officials blast state for lack of aid; tax rate rises 5 cents
BY CHRIS GAETANO
Staff Writer

"I think we got it down to a respectable amount. It's not something we can pound our breasts about, but I think it's something honorable." - Frank Gambatese

The South Brunswick Township Council passed a roughly $48 million budget during its regular meeting on Tuesday, about $24 million of which will be supported by local property taxes.

The budget adopted at Tuesday night's meeting will carry a tax rate increase of 5 cents per $100 of assessed value, about 4.5 cents lower than what was expected when the budget was first proposed in March.

The final budget is the end result of months of wrangling and debate on where cuts should be made, with the local government vowing that an over-9-cent increase was unacceptable. Township Chief Financial Officer Joseph Monzo said that $1,764,608 in savings had been developed through revisions from the initial spending plan, both in revenue and expenditures.

Cuts were made in several areas. Cumulative sick leave appropriations, as per the

recommendations of Councilman Joe Camarota, were reduced by $15,000. Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) appropriations were reduced by $10,000 as per the recommendations of Councilman Charles Carley. The snow removal budget was reduced by $30,000 as per the recommendations by Deputy Mayor Carol Barrett. Salaries in vehicle maintenance were reduced by $40,000 as per the recommendations of Carley.

The telephone expense budget was reduced by $15,000 as per the recommendations of Carley and Camarota. The expense budget for the mayor and council was reduced by $3,000 as per the recommendations of Barrett. A vacancy left behind in the finance department created a $15,000 saving, the group insurance rate was reduced by $47,000 for optimal cost, and $20,000 was taken out of the public works budget for landscape maintenance.

The township can also use $350,000 received from a lawsuit settlement. There was also a $270,000 reserve fund leftover. Finally, delinquent tax anticipations were increased by $300,000 based on state calculations.

No one on the council was happy with the 5-cent increase, but all said it was far better than the previously anticipated 9.5-cent increase.

"Am I happy with the plus 5 cents? No. But that's as low as we're going to get it," Carley said. His sentiment was echoed by each council member.

Much dissatisfaction was expressed in the direction of Trenton when the budget was discussed. Unfunded state mandates, increased health and pension contributions, and flat state aid were all skewered by the council at different times. Councilman Christopher Killmurray noted that aid to South Brunswick has decreased by $700,000 over the years by not keeping up with inflation.

"That's a hole in your budget you just never replace," Killmurray said.

Barrett took on a more strident tone as she condemned the state's use of pension funds to balance its own budget.

"They stole it to balance their budget!" Barrett said. "People, blue collar, roads, parks, who worked hard, who would hope they had a pension after 40 years, well, money was stolen. ... Now there's a lot of retirees who don't know if the money will be there, but people shake their heads at public employees like they have this great, great deal."

Mayor Frank Gambatese saw the budget as a definite improvement, noting that about eight months of effort went into it.

"I think we got it down to a respectable amount. It's not something we can pound our breasts about, but I think it's something honorable," said Gambatese.