Small Tax Increase Proposed In Morris County

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Under a new proposed Morris County budget, taxpayers could see a small tax increase during the 2019 fiscal year.

If passed, the average Morris County homeowner would see their tax bill go up $11 annually, or about 94 cents a month. The increase would fund programs in the proposed $315.3 million budget.

A chunk of the budget would go towards repairing bridges in the county. $7.8 million, the highest in six years, would be devoted to repairing bridges in the county, including Intervale Road in Parsippany, Passaic Street in Chatham, and White Bridge Road in Long Hill, among others. There are currently 16 bridges rated "structurally deficient," which means the bridge is still safe but needs major repairs.

Another $12.7 million is devoted to paving 25 miles of road around the county, including Howard Boulevard in Mount Arlington and New Vernon Road in Long Hill.

Some other major budget items include:

• $6.7 Million for CCM to complete manufacturing/engineering center plus building maintenance such as HCAV upgrades
• $1.4 Million for Vo-Tech main entrance construction including security upgrades, also skylights for art room
• $8.1 Million for law enforcement, key project is dispatch system up-grade moving to digital transmission
• $1.7 Million Morris View projects including roof and chiller plant, $315,000 renovations for homeless facilities
• $1.9 Million for Morris County Park Commission, renovation of historic Lees Pavilion in Mt. Arlington
• $1.2 Million to expand head start, doubling capacity from 45 to 90 students

The 2019 Freeholder budget meeting will be held on Thursday, March 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the County Administration and Records Building in Morristown.