Brick 2024 Municipal Budget Brings Property Tax Increase

BRICK, NJ — The Brick Township Council approved the 2024 municipal budget on Tuesday night after a lengthy public hearing that included criticisms over how the township should handle a $1 million donation from the Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority.

The 2024 budget of $118.8 million includes a municipal tax levy of $83.8 million, which is a 3.8 percent increase in the property tax levy over 2023. The increase equals about $73 per year for a house assessed at the township median of $252,000, township officials said.

The adopted budget had been amended to include a $1 million donation to the township from the Brick Township MUA, and sparked criticism from a handful of residents who attended the council meeting.

Resident Victor Fanelli questioned the donation from the MUA, asking why the township received the money instead of the Brick Township School District, which is facing layoffs again for the 2024-25 school year because of another round of state aid cuts under S2.

"What makes you more deserving than the school district?" Fanelli asked.

Brick Township business administrator Joanne Bergin said she did not know whether a municipal utilities authority is permitted to make a donation to a school district under state law but said she would look into it.

Fanelli claimed the Toms River MUA had made a donation to the Toms River Regional School District.

William Doering, business administrator for the Toms River Regional Schools said in an email that the district has not received any such donation.

Fanelli's claim spurred questions from resident Marc Vazquez about the funding. He asked the township to donate the money to the school district. Vazquez, who ignored requests for comment from Patch last fall during the election campaign regarding claims he made during council meetings, did not receive a response from the council Tuesday night despite repeated demands for an answer.

Charlie Bacon criticized the administration over having had a zero percent tax increase in the 2023 budget, and said residents were paying more in 2024 as a result.

Sam Foster, a frequent critic of the Township Council and the police department, blasted the council over what he felt was a lack of transparency.

He reiterated complaints from Fanelli over the lack of a paper copy of the budget that was being adopted, and said the township needed to make it easier to find budget information on the township's website.

Brick Township's budget information is on the website under the Finance Department, under Budgets and Financial Information. It is standard practice among towns throughout the state to post the adopted budget after the final budget adoption; Manchester Township included a message in the Monday, April 23 council agenda that the township's adopted budget would be posted to the website on Tuesday.

Foster claimed at the Brick Township Council meeting that Toms River Township officials were more transparent in their budget process and that the Toms River website was easier to navigate and find budget information.

However, the Toms River council had not introduced its 2024 budget until Wednesday, April 24 and there were no budget documents for 2024 on the Toms River Township website as of April 24.

Township officials in Toms River have been under fire for not publishing council agendas until just hours before the council meeting and when agendas have been published, making significant changes to the agenda right before the meetings.

Toms River also has shortened public comment, limiting speakers to 3 minutes. On Wednesday night, the Toms River Council did not allow the public to ask questions on any of the resolutions.