Bernards $35M Budget Passes With No Public Comment

With no comment from residents, the Bernards Township Committee on Tuesday night gave final approval to the $35.14-million municipal budget for 2013 that will raise taxes by $35.26 this year on an average township home assessed at $587,553.65.

Mayor Carolyn Gaziano said that some residents will experience no tax increase this year since overall assessments for township properties still are down from what the valuation of local homes was a few years ago.

Officials said that municipal taxes in Bernards Township have risen by about 5 percent since the mid-2000s, a period during which other New Jersey towns increased by about 50 percent.

Township CFO Terri Johnson noted at a previous meeting that the actual impact on a particular township home will differ depending on how the assessment for that property has varied through the years. That can depend on what improvements were made to individual homes and other variables such as location, with The Hills holding its value, she noted.

The $35 increase includes financing for the Bernards Township Library and the municipal open space tax, Johnson said.

Assessments up from 2012, but still down from 2005

The average assessment on a township home is $577,394 in 2013, but still below $593,944 in the 2005 housing market, according to a document produced by the township.

The previous increases in municipal taxes on average homes was $62 in 2012, and $46 in 2011, according to township figures.

Looking back for eight years, some during which the township decreased taxes, the municipal tax rate would be up just slightly more than 1 cent per $100 of assessed property value since 2005 if the budget is approved on Tuesday, according to township figures. The actual municipal tax rate would increase this year from .242 to .244, Johnson said.

The municipal tax rate is only a portion of the total township property tax bill, which also includes school and Somerset County taxes.

A detailed presentation on the proposed 2013 municipal budget is on the Bernards Township website.