Stafford Budget Increasing

Stafford Township Council Meeting Room (Photo by Micromedia Publications)
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STAFFORD – The governing body recently introduced the 2018 Municipal Budget.

The proposed budget for the 2018 year is $48,863,885.84. Of this total amount, $37,019,621.56 will be raised by taxation.

This budget is expected to increase by approximately 7 percent from the 2017 appropriations. The total appropriations for 2017 was $45,683,229.12. Of this amount, $35,147,639.47 was raised by taxation, with a tax rate of 90.1 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

Some of the larger figures in this year’s proposed budget include:

  • $8,950,160 in police salaries and wages, with $589,525 in other police expenses
  • $6,081,250 in employee group insurance
  • $1,096,000 in salaries for public works road maintencence, with $157,700 in other expenses.

Also included in the budget are a number of public and private programs that are offset by revenue other than taxes, including:

  • The Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Assistance elevation grant for $958,775
  • Distracted Driving Crackdown program for $6,600
  • Ocean County Municipal Alliance for $28,249

Mayor John Spodofora remarked that this year’s is a very responsible budget, with a reduction in the tax rate of 1.33 percent. “It’s where we want to be,” he said.

The council will present the municipal budget for a final reading at the April 24 meeting.