Voters defeat WLB school district budget
Council approves $8.7M municipal spending plan
BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer

WEST LONG BRANCH - The school district's $10.8 million school budget was defeated at the polls last week by a margin of more than 100 votes.

Borough taxpayers voted down the spending plan for the 2007-08 school year on April 17 with 304 residents voting against the budget and 207 voting in its favor.

The rejected budget called for residents to raise a total tax levy of $8.5 million.

Once a budget is voted down, the Borough Council reviews the spending plan. The council is not required to make any changes on the budget, though it can, if it chooses, reduce or even increase the amount of money the district plans to spend and raise through taxes.

If the school board believes the changes would too severely affect the district operations, they may appeal the council's decision to the state Commissioner of Education, who would have the last word on any revisions.

Under the spending plan, borough taxpayers were asked to approve an increase from last year's 65.93 cents per $100 of assessed value of property to 69.34 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

For the average borough homeowner, whose home is assessed at $473,200, the budget called for an annual increase in taxes of $161 a year, for an estimated total of $3,281.

On election day, three Board of Education incumbents were returned to their posts on the board after running in an uncontested race.

All three seats are for full three-year terms.

Annette M. Hurley, Dina O'Hare and Steven Fineberg received 285, 282 and 271 votes, respectively, at the polls.

Also last week, the Borough Council adopted the $8.7 million 2007 municipal spending plan.

The public hearing on the budget, which would increase the borough tax rate by 2.9 cents, was held at the April 18 council meeting.

No members of the audience posed questions or commented on the budget, and the council voted 4-0 to approve the spending plan.

Mayor Janet Tucci thanked Chief Financial Officer Gail Watkins and council members for working so hard on the budget.

"This is Councilman [J. Thomas} DeBruin's first year as finance head. He really did a good job," Tucci added.

The budget will increase last year's tax rate of 35.5 cents per $100 of assessed property value to 38.4 cents per $100.

For the average borough homeowner, whose home is assessed at $474,500, the budget will increase taxes annually by $137.60, according to Watkins.

With the increase in taxes, the average homeowner will now be paying approximately $1,802 a year in taxes, Watkins said.

Borough taxpayers will be expected to raise a total tax levy of $5.2 million under the budget, according to Watkins, who said the largest increases in the spending plan include collective bargaining agreements, the capital improvement fund and debt service.