Council Amends Budget, Sets Jan. 30 Public Hearing

Property owners will see a 2.9 percent increase in taxes for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2005, officials said at a special meeting Wednesday (Jan. 18, 2006) to vote on budget amendments.
The 2004-05 tax rate was $3.01 per $100 of assessed valuation and in July the council approved an estimated rate of $3.073 for fiscal year 2006. The rate to be applied to the next two quarters will be $3.099 and will result in a total increase of $29.29 for the rest of the tax year on the average $112,653 house, Chief Financial Officer Peter Sepelya said.

For the full tax year, the increase on the average home will be $90, he said.

The council held intensive budget sessions starting in July, but after the November election produced a new mayor, the process slowed down. Council members said in December they wanted to give Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs a chance to have input into the budget, so they held off until after her Jan. 1 swearing-in. Robinson-Briggs’ administration added a few jobs, including a confidential aide for her office and another confidential aide to assist with technology and implementation of city projects including road repair.

The council sought last year to eliminate the position of director of Public Affairs and Safety, but the new mayor appointed Martin Hellwig of Nutley to the post in acting capacity, so the council restored the funds.

In all there were 140 changes - both on the revenue and spending sides - that had to be voted on individually. The net result was a larger overall budget, from $63.6 million to $64.7 million, but a reduction in the amount to be raised by municipal taxes, from $41.4 million to $39.7 million. Revenues from grants, state aid, Urban Enterprise Zone funds and other sources rose from $22.2 million to $23 million.

Faced with the tedious task of voting on each line item, the council tried to get away with a single voice vote, but City Clerk Laddie Wyatt overruled the ploy, saying, “This is the people’s money.”

So for most of an hour, Chairman of the Whole Rayland Van Blake read each item aloud. Each of the 140 votes was unanimously “yes.” Council President Ray Blanco broke up the monotony by shading his inflections as he called for the vote and by labeling the new 4th Ward Councilman Elliott "Reduction" Simmons” for his emphatic seconding of votes to cut funding.

After publication of the amendments on Jan. 26, there will be a public hearing at 6 p.m. Jan. 30 in City Hall Library, 515 Watchung Ave.

Since July, the council has approved temporary monthly budget appropriations, each one-twelfth of the 2005-06 budget. Besides wanting to accommodate the new administration, the council had to wait for the announcement of extraordinary state aid for tax relief. The city requested $2.9 million and was awarded $500,000, in part because the city had a surplus of about $2 million.

--Bernice Paglia

KEYWORDS: city council, budget