River Edge 2013 Municipal, School and County Budgets Increase Taxes

Each year school districts, municipal governing bodies, and county governing bodies submit their adopted budgets to the County Tax Boards outlining their budgetary requirements. The various levies are totaled to represent the “amount to be raised by taxation” for each taxing jurisdiction.

The 2013 Municipal Budget of $14.4 million budget calls for an $11.9 million tax levy which will be broken down into a $77 increase for the average homeowner. The average assessed value of a home in River Edge is $436,000.

In prior years, taxpayers were hit by a $234 increase in 2011 and then $140 in 2012 along with borough employees forced to take furlough days two years ago. The currently proposed 2013 budget does not include any furloughs for the second year.

"This is the lowest increase in several years," Mayor Sandy Moscaritolo said during the public meeting. "And the first time in at least five years that the increase is under $100."

The budget includes such capital projects as street resurfacing, storm and sewer upgrades, the library roof replacement, a DPW dump truck, computer hardware and software and new borough signs. This year’s budget has recreation improvements and funding for an economic development/business improvement district study.

With the school budget, the River Edge Board of Education opted to place the additional $23,000 in state aid into the $15,658,231 budget on Wednesday night. The budget, which comes in at the 2% tax levy cap of $13,508,217, calls for a $70 increase to the average homeowner. 

The 2013-14 budget also includes adding more indoor security cameras in the schools, replacing an exterior door from the Cherry Hill attic to the roof, replacement of interior classroom doors, continuing the boiler refurbish program, replacing several hot water heaters and expanding the Building Connections program for a full Pre-K through sixth grade program.

The district will also move ahead on one of two major building projects at Cherry Hill and either remove contained asbestos or replace a large area of roofing through $475,000 in capital funding. Board members will decide which building project to perform.

Under the $30 million Regional School budget, the average River Edge homeowner can expect a $3 increase.

On Tuesday, the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders introduced a $498 million budget that works out to an average tax increase of $24.63 per year on an average home.

For the River Edge homeowner, those increases add up to an annual tax increase of approximately $174.63 on a house assessed at $436.000.

Patch will have the tax numbers for Oradell as soon the municipal budget is adopted.

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