Proposed Municipal Tax Hike Reduced in Brick

Brick Township, NJ Logo (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Brick residents’ taxes will still rise slightly as part of a budget soon expected to be approved by the township council, but officials said Tuesday night that they had worked to reduce the increase to $44 per year for the average resident.

“We had a bunch of different meetings and they were able to add a sharper pencil to the paper,” said Mayor John Ducey, crediting township Chief Financial Officer Scott Pezarras and his team for helping to reduce the proposed 2016 spending plan by about $500,000.

“We’re not pulling any services at all,” said Ducey.

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Facing the repayment of loans related to the cleanup of Superstorm Sandy, employee healthcare premiums that rose 9 percent this year, prescription benefits that rose by 35 percent and the absence of $357 million in ratables that have yet to recovery from the storm, taxpayers were facing an 11.8 cent tax hike before officials were able to pare it down to 1.5 cents.

For a resident whose home is assessed at $293,600, the budget will result in a $44 tax increase for the municipal portion of their tax bill. School taxes, separate from the municipal tax levy, will also rise this year.

The final budget for 2016 will be $100,952,975, supported by a tax levy of $71,926,260.