April 4, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 7 Mahwah Council introduces budget Series to feature state parks by Frank J. McMahon The Mahwah Council has introduced a $34,564,660 budget for 2012 year, which is $420,352 less than the 2011 final budget and $215,000 under the state-imposed two percent cap on the township’s tax levy. The budget will require $19,840,087 in property taxes for municipal purposes and $2,145,178 in property taxes for the public library for a total tax of $21,985,265. The total tax is $110,034 more than the property taxes required to support the 2011 budget. The proposed municipal tax rate as a result of this budget is anticipated to be 34.8 cents, which would be an increase of six tenths of a cent above the 2011 tax rate. The new tax rate will result in a municipalpurpose tax increase of $28 for the average township home assessed at $470,000. In addition, there will be a one cent tax rate for the township’s open space fund and a 3.8 cent tax rate for the public library, which must be calculated separately per state regulations. Property owners’ final tax bill will also include the taxes to support the township’s public school district, the Bergen County budget, and the county’s open space fund. All those tax rates will ultimately be certified by the county and combined into a total tax rate. A homeowner’s overall property tax is calculated by multiplying the total tax rate by each $100 of assessed valuation. The amount of surplus used in the 2012 budget is $3,250,000, which is $575,000 less than the $3,825,000 used in 2011. According to Mahwah Township Administrator Brian Campion, the municipal budget was helped by the lack of any increase in the mandated contribution to the township’s employee pension plan and a significant amount of money that was in the township’s self-insured health plan at the end of the year due to lower expenses. Campion explained that the township had very good expenses in its self-insured medical fund in 2011, and originally received a bill representing a large increase in pension costs for 2012 but, as a result of changes in the state’s pension regulations, that bill was reduced by about $500,000. Anticipated revenues in the budget include $3,250,000 in surplus, $8,914,396 in total miscellaneous revenues, $415,000 from receipts for delinquent taxes, $19,840,087 in municipal property taxes, and $2,145,178 in the minimum library tax paid by property owners. The township’s open space trust fund will raise $570,161 through property taxes, and the money will be reserved for future use. Appropriations include $12,364,550 in salaries and wages, $13,203,199 in other expenses, $2,867,134 in deferred charges and other appropriations, $63,000 in capital improvements, $3,516,110 in debt service, and 2,550,667 in a reserve for uncollected taxes. The township’s outstanding debt totals $31,680,000, which includes $6,800,000 in water utility debt and $4,480,000 in sewer utility debt. A public hearing on the township’s budget will be held at the April 20 council meeting, which will be held in the council chambers at the Richard J Martel Municipal Building on Corporate Drive. The Mahwah Museum will present historian and raconteur Kevin Woyce in an April 12 lecture entitled “New Jersey State Parks.” The program will be held at the Ramapo Reformed Church, 100 Island Road in Mahwah, at 7:30 p.m. The presentation includes photos of many of New Jersey’s beautiful state parks, vintage maps, and images of historic people, places, and events. Old names such as Wawayanda and Hopatcong remind visitors of the Lenni Lenape. Historic battlefields recall New Jersey’s perilous years during the American Revolution. Abandoned forges still speak of the first great industry. Beginnings of the transportation network can be traced in the paths of the Morris and the Delaware and Raritan canals. The presentation is part of the Mahwah Museum’s ongoing lecture series that will continue through May. Visit www.mahwahA view of High Point State Park. museum.org or call (201) 512-0099 for more information. Reservations are suggested. Admission is $3 per person. There is no charge for Mahwah Museum members.