BERKELEY – The Central Regional Board of Education adopted a budget that will bring either an increase or a decrease in taxes depending on where you live.
The total budget will be $45,174,583, an increase of over the current year’s $44,487,977.
Of this, $36,550,272 will be raised in taxes. This is an increase of $716,672 from the current year’s revised levy of $35,833,600.
Central has students from five different towns. The tax impact is different for each.
For Berkeley residents, their tax rate will be 47.65 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. For a home based on the average assessment of $205,620, the annual tax bill will be $980.81, which is a decrease of $2.06.
For Island Heights residents, their tax rate will be 39.07 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. For a home based on the average assessment of $412,320, the annual tax bill will be $1,612.17, which is an increase of $28.86.
For Ocean Gate residents, their tax rate will be 46.62 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. For a home based on the average assessment of $207.718, the annual tax bill will be $967.97, which is a decrease of $8.31.
For Seaside Heights residents, their tax rate will be 40.64 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. For a home based on the average assessment of $244,283, the annual tax bill will be $991.79, which is an increase of $7.33.
For Seaside Park residents, their tax rate will be 52.47 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. For a home based on the average assessment of $566,018, the annual tax bill will be $2,971.59, which is an increase of $28.30.
An assessment is an estimation of your property’s worth in the real estate market. It’s not what you bought it for. Your assessment is usually written on your tax bill.
There are a few capital projects included in the budget. One of them is 14 rooftop units at the schools for $494,326. This was awarded to Limbach Company of East Brunswick.
The flooring in the high school’s auditorium and gym hallways will be replaced at a cost of $116,541.67 and the media center flooring replacement will be done at a cost of $322,500.
Building the budget was done with an eye on a possible recession because of what’s happening in Europe, district Business Administrator Kevin O’Shea said during a budget presentation. Currently, the federal government makes sure that all students eat for free. The district hopes that this funding will continue in the future. Supply chain disruptions are also a possibility.
Projected enrollment for the 2022-3 school year is 2,422. Districts record their enrollment on October 15 of each year. In 2021, it was 2,397. In 2020, it was 2,404. So, the total didn’t change significantly in the last few years, but with development in Berkeley they expect more in the future, O’Shea said.
