Municipal State Aid to be Same as Last Year

Promised state aid for this year as a contribution to municipal finances will be the same as in 2011, Bruce McArthur said on Thursday. Last year's state aid toward municipal finances was $1.8 million, a repeat of the aid figure from 2010.

The state aid amount—actually a portion of the gross receipts of energy taxes collected in the township, and later returned by the state—will be included as revenue in the 2012 municipal budget, which McArthur said may be introduced at the first Township Committee meeting in March.

McArthur has said in recent months that absorbing the costs of major snows, the hurricane and extensive damage caused by the unusual Oct. 29 snowstorm this past year have put a strain on local expenses.

This year, so far, "It's been a mild winter—that's the good news," Township Mayor Mary Pavlini said on Thursday night. "That's going to help."

Pavlini said that perhaps money allocated, but not spent, this winter can offset a part of the costs of previous storms, when the township had to dip into reserves.

"Hopefully, we will be below our budget and money can go back into reserves," she said.

The mayor said the township must stay within a two-percent budget cap on spending, but at the same time must absorb rising fuel costs and other strains on the budget. Meanwhile, a pending contract with the local police department remains unsettled, she said.

Last year's municipal budget was $35.6 million, with taxpayers picking up about $17 million of that amount. The taxpayer's contribution was a 2.89 percent increase from 2011, even though the overall budget dipped slightly from the previous year. But at the same time, revenue from sources such as interest income dipped last year, and the township also had to pay for last year's severe winter.

Although the amount of state aid received by the municipality has been the same for the past three years, it still represents a reduction from 2009, when the figure was about $2.29 million.

State aid figures for local school districts that were released on Thursday showed that Bernards Township schools can expect a 27 percent increase for this year. That amount brings state aid for township schools up to about $3 million, similar to the amount received before Gov. Christie slashed aid to most state school districts in 2010, including an 82 percent reduction in aid for Bernards schools that year.