Community Corner

2011 Township Budget Adopted Unanimously

Spending increased by less than 1 percent.

The Montville Township Committee unanimously adopted the 2011 municipal budget at Tuesday night's meeting. 

"I'd like to extend my thanks to the township committee…thank you all," said Mayor Jim Sandham, discussing the process of creating the budget.

This year's budget totals $18,021,131, an increase of $255,564 from last year's $17,765,549 allocations. This represents a 1.44 percent increase on the local tax levy, or $36 for a house assessed at the township average of $332,800.

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Spending is increased by approximately .7 percent in the 2011 budget.

Sandham praised the for returning a $1.4 million surplus, an amount that equates to nearly 7.8 percent of the total budget.

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"We should commend them for that," Sandham said. "They have been fiscally responsible…accumulation is why we're able to get a surplus back from the library."

Salaries are also down in the township, but Committeeman Don Kostka noted the average salary for a municipal employee, including benefits, is more than $100,000.

According to Kostka, the average salary in the township, including police, is more than $89,000, and with benefits, more than $40,000 is added. He found the total cost of a township employee is $130,599.

"We've cut back, so we're doing a good job," Kostka said. "I was kind of surprised when I saw these numbers."

No members of the public spoke during the public portion of the budget hearing, and the budget was adopted with a vote of 5-0.

Both a summary of the 2011 budget and the entire line item budget are available on the Montville Township website.


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