Municipal Taxes Will Increase $95 on Average Montville Home

The municipal tax bill on an average Montville home assessed at $528,000 will increase by $95 under the terms of the 2013 budget reviewed by the Township Committee on Tuesday evening.

The total property tax bill-which includes the levies for the school district, Morris County, open space and library–is estimated to increase $216 on the average house. The overall tax rate is projected to rise from $2.12 per $100 of assessed value to $2.16, an increase of 1.8 percent.

Township spending, which includes the library budget, will increase 3.79 percent from $18.439 million to $19.139 million. Township Administrator Victor Canning explained that there are several expenses not covered by the state-mandated 2 percent cap. For example, the “800-pound” gorilla in the budget is a 10 percent increase in health care premiums, he said.

“There are no ifs, ands or buts about it,” he said.

Also driving the budget numbers, Canning said, are funds for sick pay and tax appeals. In the last nine years, the administrator said, the township has annually lost an average of about $634,000 in tax settlements.

Mayor Tim Braden said the township received a “large stack” of tax appeals before the April 1 deadline. Canning said it is "unfair" that the township has to bear the brunt of tax appeals and that the costs of settlements and litigation are not shared by the school district and county. He said there has been legislation introduced in Trenton to relieve a municipality's responsibility by sharing the costs.

"There is hope," Canning said.

The Township Committee asked tax assessor Tom Lehart to attend the governing body’s next meeting to discuss assessment issues, including whether re-assessments could be performed by neighborhood to reflect property sale trends. 

Canning also said that he has not filled three vacancies on the township payroll. Canning noted that in recent years, the size of the Department of Public Works has dropped by a third, from 24 to 16 employees.

“I have not replaced these people,” he said. “We’re still getting the job done.”

Committeeman Don Kostka, who noted that there are “loopholes” in the 2 percent budget cap, said the costs for pensions and health care are “unsustainable.”

“The unions haven’t given us anything,” he said.