12-cent tax increase proposed in Roosevelt
BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer

ROOSEVELT - Municipal employees do not get raises under the proposed borough budget for 2008-09.

The Borough Council introduced the budget on March 21 and will hold a public hearing on the spending plan on May 27.

Jeff Ellentuck and Peggy Malkin, who serve on the borough's finance committee, said that cuts were made across the board in most areas of the proposed budget.

"It's a bare-bones budget," Malkin said.

If the budget passes, the local tax levy for municipal purposes would rise from $423,421 last year to $540,791 this year. The tax rate would increase 12 cents from 44 cents per $100 of assessed value in 2007 to 56 cents in 2008.

According to the New Jersey Department of CommunityAffairs (DCA), the borough has a population of 913. Gov. Jon Corzine took action this year action to cut state funding to small municipalities like Roosevelt.According to the DCA, these cuts would increase each homeowner's tax by $138.

Last year, Roosevelt received $123,313 in state aid, while this year it anticipates $76,697 in state funding, based on Corzine's plan to slash funding to towns with less than 5,000 people.

Legal fees have been a major expense for the town, which has had to defend itself in lawsuits filed by Yeshiva Me'on Hatorah and Congregation Anshei Roosevelt, and this year will be no exception.

The 2007-08 budget appropriated $67,900 for legal expenses and the borough appropriated an additional $96,000 on an emergency basis. Of the total amount, the borough spent $149,384 last year and held $25,515 in reserve. The 2007-08 budget appropriates another $113,520 for legal expenses.

The 2007-08 budget appropriated $50,900 for Planning Board expenses other than salaries and wages and the borough also made an emergency appropriation of $20,000. Of the total amount, the borough spent $47,843 and reserved $23,056. The 2008-09 would appropriate $33,300 for such expenses.

Appropriations for the borough's first aid squad, fire department,municipal court and office of emergencymanagement would remain the same as last year. The budget for public works functions would also remain similar. Expenses for buildings and grounds would increase $200 from $21,300 last year to $21,500 this year and those for road maintenance would increase to $14,400 from $13,100 last year.

While the budgets for gasoline, natural gas and telephone services would remain the same as last year, the amount budgeted for electricity would increase from $4,000 last year to $5,500 this year. The budget for street lighting would also increase from $10,500 to $12,000 this year as would the budget for landfill and solid waste disposal, which would increase from $38,000 last year to $40,600 this year.