March 28, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 7 Ramsey UNICO supports DARE Greater Ramsey UNICO recently donated $500 to help fund Drug Abuse Resistance Education programs and events. The DARE program gives young students the life skills they need to avoid involvement with drugs, gangs, and violence. Pictured at the check presentation are Donna Bradshaw, UNICO second vice president; Steve Wekar, UNICO treasurer; Tim Shoemaker, Ramsey DARE Officer; and Joe Tredici, UNICO first vice president. The Traditional Chinese Culture Community Outreach Program will make a presentation at the Ramsey Public Library at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28. Focusing on 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture and civilization, the program will feature storytelling through classical Chinese dance and music, including “Journey to the West,” one of the four classics in Chinese literature, and the “Legend of Mulan,” a revolutionary story for women in Learn about Chinese culture Chinese history. Discover the significance of Chinese dances, landscape painting, and music, and take a look into the complexity of viewing Chinese culture inside and outside of China. The program is free and no registration is required. For more information, visit www. ramseylibrary.org or call (201) 327-1445. The library is located at 30 Wyckoff Avenue. This month, the Ramsey Borough Council introduced a $23,707,242 municipal-purpose budget for 2012. The spending plan will result in a $35 tax increase on a home assessed at the borough’s average value of $431,302. This tax impact is for municipal purposes only, and does not include taxes that will be assessed to support the local school district or Bergen County. This year’s municipal budget includes a $1,500,000 reserve for uncollected taxes, and a minimum library tax of $1,170,895. Total general appropriations that fall within the cap total $18,583,384, while total general appropriations of $3,623,858 are excluded from the cap. Surplus is expected to drop this year to $3,050,000 from $3,200,000 in 2011. Anticipated revenues for 2012 include $33,000 from liquor licenses, $62,000 from fees and permits, $145,000 from the municipal court, $125,000 in interest and costs on taxes, $58,000 from the Uniform Fire Safety Act fees, $195,000 from the cable franchise fee, $140,000 from the municipal occupancy tax, and $100,000 from recycling revenue. In total, local revenues have been budgeted at $880,000, up from $747,000 in 2011. The borough also anticipates a sum of $1,474,471 from the energy receipts tax and $450,000 from dedicated uniform construction code fees. Council’s budget includes $35 average tax increase Miscellaneous revenues include a $45,289 recycling tonnage grant, $10,356 for the Ramsey Municipal Alliance on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, a $23,180 Clean Communities grant, $3,056 from the state’s Body Armor Grant Fund, and another $6,590 from the Drunk Driving Enforcement Fund. The total amount to be raised by taxation is $16,235,166. General appropriations for 2012 will include $150,000 in salaries and wages for general administration, $215,000 in salaries and wages for financial administration, $47,000 for financial services, $35,000 for payroll data processing, and a $200,000 reserve for property tax appeals. The net employee group insurance cost has been budgeted at $1,900,000. The cost of the employees’ group health plan is budgeted at $2,146,290; however, that cost will be offset by the employees’ contribution toward insurance, which is expected to total $246,290. The budget also includes $701,000 for general liability/workers’ compensation insurance. The budget hearing has been scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on April 25 at Ramsey Borough Hall, 33 North Central Avenue. Further details about this budget are available on the borough’s website, ramseynj.com.