Hightstown Council Approves Budget with Tax Increase

Hightstown residents will be seeing a $72 tax increase on the average assessed house in the Borough after the 2012 budget was passed unanimously Monday night.

The average residential property is assessed at $266,798 and Mayor Steven Kirson said the hardest part for the town is finding revenue to replace what they have lost from the state.

“The issue here for the municipality is not so much on the expense side, its producing revenue. We are 1.2 square miles and built out with the lack of ability to attract substantial rateables,” Kirson said.

In 2007 the borough received more than $900,000 from the state, and that has decreased to around $500,000 in 2011 and 2012.

“The biggest deal for us is how do we replace the $400,000 that we had just a few years ago [from the state] that we don’t have now,” Kirson said.

Part of the 1.58 percent tax levy increase also comes from contracted health benefits, union contracts, a loss of revenue from Energy Tax Receipts from the state and a $43,000 loss in revenue from the Cranbury 9-1-1 contract, , according to Borough Administrator Michael Theokas. 

The budget allocates money for a part-time employee for code enforcement, which the Borough will be hiring, Theokas said.

“The Fire Department graciously offered the former deputy chief’s car for use in the Borough,” Theokas said. The Borough would have otherwise had to reimburse employees working on code enforcement for use of their personal cars.

There is also $100,000 allocated to hire two police officers, one additional officer and one to replace an officer who is expected to retire at the end of the year, Police Director James Le Tellier has said.

The 2012 operating budget is $6.6 million, compared to the $6.3 million budget in 2011. This year the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs reviewed and signed off on the budget, as the department looks at each municipality’s budget ever three years.