MANCHESTER – The average homeowner will see a $108 tax increase for a house valued at $366,000 now that the 2025 budget has passed.
Business Administrator Carl Block stressed that this year’s budget will mean a decrease for some taxpayers and an increase for others based on the value of their homes. The township recently underwent a revaluation.
Mayor Joseph Hankins made the first budget presentation of his tenure. It was followed by two comments from the public before the Township Council unanimously adopted the budget.
Hankin’s presentation explained that local revenues collected are licenses, fees and permits, court fees, interest earned, cable franchise fees, and payment for hosting the landfill. The mayor also noted that state aid this year was lower than last year because the state budget did not include additional municipal relief as it did last year.
The mayor noted that state aid to the municipality is certified in March and has been flat since 2011.
Uniform Construction Code fees are anticipated to be higher than last year due to an increase in construction projects, he said.
Special items of revenue included hotel tax and rental fees for cellular antennas. This year increases in shared services revenue and PILOT Revenue are also expected.
Surplus is used to offset the amount needed to be raised through taxation. The amount to be raised through taxation is limited by a 2% cap over the prior year excluding certain expenditures.
Every year the State determines any other items that can be excluded from the cap based on economic factors.
The mayor said “salaries make up 14% of the budget and police and fire services make up 34.2% of the budget. The remaining balance is comprised of all the other operating expenses, healthcare, debt service and liability insurance.”
Grants
Grants are continually sought by the individual departments, he said. Some have already come in.
The budget showed $602,495.65 in grants. Those numbers will increase throughout the year.
• New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Local Aid Grant for Congasia Road – $314,775.00
• Senior Outreach Grant – $173,000
• Recycling Tonnage Grant – $38,268.29
• Municipal Alliance – $11,578.25
• Sustained Enforcement – $43,120.00
• Federal Opioid Settlement Grant – $16,263.04
• Body Armor Grant – $5,491.07
Local Property Tax
“The amount to be raised by taxation is our local tax levy,” the mayor explained. The amount to be raised this year by taxation is $29,709,393.49 and the 2025 municipal tax rate is .385 per $100 of assessed valuation.
The taxes on the average home will be an increase of $108.38, from last year’s $1,301.21 to this year’s $1,409.59.
Resident Kim Holland asked if multiple estimates were conducted regarding the budget.
Block responded that all capital projects require bids and are advertised. “We usually go with more than one bid unless only one person bids.”
Resident Gail Apgar asked about a project on Fox Hollow Road and “whether it would be paved” as part of the capital project.
“It allows to have a passable road,” the mayor responded.
Appointments
In other news, Coronato Law was appointed as tax foreclosure attorney for legal services within the township and a shared services agreement was approved between Manchester and Lakehurst for EMS Basic Life Support (ambulance) coverage.
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