MANASQUAN — The Manasquan Mayor and Council met on April 7 and unanimously voted to introduce the municipal budget by title only totaling $14,774,549 in total general revenues. The budget equates to a $67 annual increase in municipal taxes on the average household.
The budget calls for $8,684,446 to be raised in taxes, a 3.34% increase over last year. For the average assessed home in Manasquan of $661,862, taxpayers will be paying $2,720 in municipal taxes, a $67 increase from last year’s bill of $2,653.
This year’s municipal tax rate will be 0.411 per capita, an increase of one cent from last year’s rate of 0.404. This means that each Manasquan resident will pay approximately 41 cents for each $100 worth of property they own in the borough.
The introduced 2025 municipal budget lists a current fund of $13,980,059. According to the budget presentation, within the current fund, appropriations include $5,028,070 for water and sewer utilities, $1,009,740 for operating expenses, $350,653 for professional fees, $1,047,000 for insurance, $1,091,250 for garbage and recycling, $232,500 for utilities, $1,247,843 for statutory expenses, $612,433 for contributions and interlocals, $60,074 for grants, $487,500 for capital improvements, $1,981,049 for debt service and $804,945 for reserve for uncollected taxes.
Administration and finance subcommittee chair Jay Bryant briefed the dais and members of the public on the budget, saying, “I keep saying this is a 365-day-a-year budget, every meeting, every committee, we are consciously working on it throughout the year, making sure we are within the guidelines when planning for the year ahead. What you’re seeing tonight is really a commitment to the town’s essential services that relies on ensuring long term fiscal responsibility.”
Bryant emphasized that the biggest success of the budget is that through “responsible planning,” the borough will be able to increase the amount of services in Manasquan, sustain public infrastructure and make improvements to roads and parks without a significant spike in the tax rate.
The presentation highlighted several major capital projects for 2025 and the grants that have been received to assist in the funding of each project: First Avenue improvements phase three with a $209,528 grant, Winterstella Park with a $174,000 grant, Stockton Lake phase three with a grant worth $274,290, Stockton Lake bulkhead with a grant worth $1,750,000, the replacement of the borough hall siding and basketball court resurfacing.
In addition to introducing the budget, the council introduced an ordinance establishing a cap bank, which was later explained by the borough’s Chief Financial Officer, Amy Spera.
“This ordinance that we’re introducing tonight is just so that we’re able to increase our in cap appropriations up to 3.5% over the prior year… This year our increase did not go up to that 3.5%, and our cap bank amount will be about $128,000 that will go into our cap bank for the next two succeeding years,” Spera said.
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