Robbinsville Budget Features 3rd Straight Municipal Tax Cut

 

ROBBINSVILLE, NJ – (May 24, 2018) - Robbinsville Township Council tonight adopted Mayor Dave Fried's 2018 municipal budget of $24.7 million, which includes a 0.25-cent tax cut.

The tax rate has been reduced to 52.1 cents per $100 of assessed value - a decrease of 2.1 cents since 2012 (54.2) – and marks the third consecutive year of tax cuts implemented by the Mayor and Administration. The average assessed home value in Robbinsville is $375,000. A penny in the Robbinsville tax rate is worth $255,663.49. One-fourth of that —0.25 cents — is $63,915.88.

The 2018 budget includes added funding for school security in the form of two additional officers to patrol Sharon School and Pond Road Middle School, along with a plan to purchase the Mercer Mobile Home Park. The 2018 budget marks the fifth straight year of either flat or reduced municipal taxes, which account for 20 percent of residents’ overall tax burden.

"Over the past 15 years we have not found another town in the State of New Jersey who has been able to say they have cut taxes three years in a row,” Mayor Fried said. “The ability to not only provide the level of services we do in Robbinsville, but to seemingly add to them every year within the confines of a 2-percent cap is quite an accomplishment by our entire team. Starting with Business Administrator Joy Tozzi, Chief Financial Officer Debbie Bauer and then all of our department heads, the ability to craft a budget of this scope and still cut taxes yet again is, needless to say, very difficult to do in today's fiscal climate."

Public hearing and Council vote was held May 24, 2018 at the Municipal Building, located at 2298 Route 33.

“Budget time is stressful for many municipalities across the state,” Council president Ron Witt said. “But thanks to shrewd and efficient management by Mayor Fried, Administration, and Township Council, this budget has yielded another proposed reduction in the municipal component of the township tax levy. A tax reduction of any kind is impressive, but to reduce taxes three years in a row, while continuing to provide residents with such a high level of services, is simply outstanding.”

Remarkably, the Robbinsville Township municipal budget has increased $2.8 million since 2015, due in large part to pension, health insurance and other inflation-driven costs. Yet, the Township’s aggressive pursuit of ratables and other revenue sources nonetheless resulted in yet another tax cut.

-RT-