JACKSON – Homeowners will see a small decrease in the municipal tax rate this year. Township Business Administrator Terence Wall unveiled this year’s tentative spending plan during a recent Township Council meeting.
“Based on the success of the prior year, we are offering a tax cut to the residents this year. Jackson is one of the most fiscally responsible and financially solvent communities in the county if not in the state of New Jersey,” Wall said.
Wall provided a summary of the PowerPoint presentation that he, Financial Officer Sharon Pinkava, Mayor Michael Reina, Assistant Municipal Administrator Samantha Novak, and Assistant Municipal Treasurer Patricia Schwark prepared.
This year’s budget includes a proposed levy increase of 1.09 percent. The average home assessed at $329,861.77 will see “a reduction of $3.30 for the year for the average assessment,” Wall said.
He noted that in 2021, revenue exceeded “what our budget estimates were by more than $2.5 million. We are conservative when budgeting revenue. You don’t want to be aggressive in that area.”
He credited some of that revenue on increases on certain municipal fees and permits “and interest on our investments and deposits.” Unanticipated revenue was up by $1.2 million which included items such as Ocean County Care grants and rental registration tax collection and revenues on a cell phone tower.
“Expenses is an area that you have to watch as a local municipality,” he said. In 2020, the total municipal expenses were about $47.5 million, and less than $44.821 million was spent. “In 2021, we budgeted $49.376 million approximately, and we expended less $48.96.”
“In 2022 we are budgeting $54,656,782,” Wall said, noting that miscellaneous anticipated revenue is $9.9 million and the amount to be raised by taxes is over $34 million.
The administrator explained that the township collects funds not only for the township but also for Ocean County, fire districts and the Board of Education. “Our tax collection rate is 98.98 percent which is a fantastic number.”
Wall credited tax collection to Mike Campbell who he described as “a fantastic department head.”
He added that public safety was also reflected in the budget with the township having hired additional police officers last year and this year marking a total of over 100 officers for the department for the first time.
Wall said further details about the spending plan would be available for viewing on the township website so that residents could go over them and ask any questions they might have about the budget during the April 26 public hearing.
In referencing the breakdown of the total tax bill, Wall said, the local school district “is coming in at approximately $98.593,099.02, municipal purposes tax is $34,641,046, 55, County purposes tax at $32,350,782.04 million and fire districts total levies $7.291,781.64 and municipal open space is at $2,078,321.72.”
Council President Martin Flemming said, “we did this and kept our rate in the black while making the police department the largest it has ever been.”
Wall added, “this is a fiscally responsible budget that puts the taxpayers first and provides the goods and services at a value – whether it is recreation improvements such as the turf approval made recently or preserving open spaces such as Rova Farms and redevelopment opportunities and keeping the streets and town safe with the proper level of staffing from the police department standpoint and our different departments.”
“Budgeting is certainly not a perfect science. It requires the dedication of all the different department heads and it requires year-round work,” Wall said. He added along with all the budget information posted online “our doors are open of course to any questions to myself or our finance team and our auditors here.”
“I will congratulate you on the budget since no one else will,” resident Joseph Sullivan said during the public comment period of the meeting. Sullivan was among at least six people who provided comment on a variety of subjects during the evening.
Sullivan added, “I think you all did an excellent job, especially administrator Wall, Mayor Reina and the council. You put together a magnificent budget.”
