Average West Caldwell Tax Bill to Increase About $50

West Caldwell’s governing body showed unanimous support for an introductory municipal budget of $18.3 million Tuesday night.

The amount to be raised by taxes is $12,450,999, which represents a 2 percent increase to the levy, Acting Township Administrator Michael Bramhall said.

The average West Caldwell taxpayer will see an increase on their property tax bill of $4 per month, or $50 per year, Mayor Joseph Tempesta said.

The average home in the township is assessed at $432,700, and the tax rate is 0.56 for every $100 in assessed value. 

“Quite frankly, the operating budget couldn’t be any tighter,” Tempesta said.

The operating budget is about $250,000 greater than the previous year, a number that could come down if additional cuts are found.

“I think I speak for the mayor and governing body," Councilman Stanley Hladik, chairman of the Finance Committee, said, "we don’t increase taxes lightly.”

Hladik explained the three main factors which drove the budget—storm activity, health insurance increases and tax appeals.

The councilman said recent storm clean-ups following Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011, the Oct. 2011 snowstorm and Superstorm Sandy in 2012 have made a dent in the township's surplus. 

"We need to be conservative and build our surplus up to stay strong," he said.

Hladik added, “We didn’t cut any major services," citing specifically that trash will continue to be picked up twice a week, both town pools will be open and the township will continue to take care of its infrastructure.

“I think at $4 a month, we can continue to enjoy all West Caldwell has to offer,” Hladik said.

The introduced budged will be posted on www.westcaldwell.com in the coming days. A public hearing on the budget will be held on Tuesday, May 7, at 7:15 p.m., at 30 Clinton Road.

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