HOWELL – Township officials moved to postpone a vote on their $53.54 million budget earlier this month.
Township Manger Brian Geoghegan discussed the matter early on during an April 7 meeting. “I did see feedback that the governing body is looking to carry this until a later date obviously due to the ongoing circumstances to see what kind of impact this will have on the township financially.”
The budget was introduced during a March 3, council meeting. It calls for residential and commercial property owners in the township to pay a 2.85% increase, or a total of $809,264 more in municipal taxes than last year.
The budget that was introduced by Mayor Theresa Berger, Deputy Mayor Evelyn O’Donnell, Councilman John Bonevich and Councilman Thomas Russo was scheduled to have had a public hearing during the April 7 session. Councilwoman Pamela Richmond was not present for the March 3, meeting.
Within the $53.54 million that has been appropriated for 2020, township officials said $24 million of it is in salaries.
This year’s tentative spending plan would be supported by the collection of $29.2 million in taxes from the community’s residential and commercial property owners.
It was also stated by township officials that $900,000 from Howell’s surplus fund would be used as revenue in this budget.
Last year’s budget came in at $52.3 million and was supported by the collection of $28.30 million in taxes from residential and commercial property owners. That budget used $1.2 million from the surplus fund as revenue.
The amount of taxes an individual will pay is based on the assessed value of their home and/or property and the tax rate that is set by each taxing entity.
Municipal taxes are one item on a property owner’s total tax bill. Property owners in Howell also pay Howell K-8 School District taxes, Freehold Regional High School District taxes, a fire district tax and Monmouth County taxes.
The township’s municipal tax rate was 39.45 cents per $100 of assessed valuation last year. The owner of a home that was assessed at the township average of $357,214 saw a tax bill featuring around $1,409 in municipal taxes.
This year the municipal tax rate as introduced, would remain at 39.45 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The average Howell home is now assessed at $365,623 and the owner of that home will pay about $1,442 in municipal taxes.
Should the spending plan that has been introduced remain unchanged and the assessed value of a taxpayer’s residence remain the same this year as it was in 2019, they should not see an increase in their municipal taxes.
In other news, Geoghegan read a statement by Municipal Alliance Coordinator Christa Riddle during the meeting: “Feeling sad or overwhelmed during COVID-19 – visit the Howell Township Municipal Alliance website and Friends of the Howell Municipal Alliance Facebook page which provide a comprehensive list of mental health and substance use prevention recovery and treatment resources during times of COVID-19 or any time you or a loved one needs support.
“The resources range from youth or general population helplines to crisis intervention services at the local, state and national levels. Never be afraid to ask for help or seek support. Social distancing does not put a stop to offering compassion and concern,” Riddle’s statement added.
Geoghegan noted that due to Gov. Phil Murphy closing all state parks earlier in the day, “Howell Township followed suit and closed all municipal parks. DPW (Department of Public Works) have been working the afternoon to post barricades and signs to indicate that.”
“Our senior center has been receiving a number of donations I know a few council people, Deputy Mayor O’Donnell and Councilman Russo have worked to get some significant financial donations for the center, our director, Melanie Decker has been doing a phenomenal job working with Chris Hill from PIL securing food donations which have are split up between the center and the pantry which supports our seniors and needy families. The Puglisi Egg Farm has lent out their refrigeration systems to allow us to store some of the food products.”
The next meeting of the council will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21. During that meeting Geoghegan said he and the chief financial officer worked on a resolution for the council to consider regarding utilizing funds saved from the lack of winter snowfall.
“Our snowfall trust fund has built up quite a bit and we’ll put a resolution forward for the council to consider using that for an emergency such as the COVID-19 crisis and that would make that money available to us for any spending that may need to be done.
He added that currently that fund has $800,000. “The last time Howell did so was during Superstorm Sandy.”
