Municipal tax rate could jump 12 cents this year Reliance on one-time revenues, deferred school taxes has hurt Brick BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer It's time to pay the piper.Residents here could see a 12-cent rise in the municipal purposes tax rate, if Brick Township officials approve the proposed 2007 budget. Mayor Daniel J. Kelly was expected to present the budget at the March 13 Township Council meeting, after the Bulletin had already gone to press. A homeowner with a house assessed at the township average of $133,500 will pay an extra $16 per month, or $192 per year, according to the proposed budget. The increase stems primarily from the way the budget has been crafted over the past 13 years, Township Administrator Scott M. Pezarras said Monday. The township has relied too often on one-time revenues like liquor license and municipal asset sales and deferred school taxes in the past, he said. "I have concerns about the future," Pezarras said. "That's not a good way to go forward." The proposed total budget will rise to $71,636,107, up from $67,188,592 last year. The municipal tax rate will rise from .853 cents for each $100 of assessed valuation to .973, according to the budget. The township will use $10,967,806 of surplus, leaving a cushion of $3,634,387, or 5.07 percent of the total budget. That compares to $9,785,768 in 2006, which left $1,092,595, or 1.62 percent of the total budget, in the surplus account. The municipal tax rate cannot remain "stagnant" without cutting personnel, services or roads and recreational facilities, Pezarras said. Municipalities throughout the state already have a spending cap and will probably face a 4 percent cap on the amount to be raised by taxation in the fall, when Gov. Jon Corzine is expected to sign legislation, he said. The township had six years of zero-cent tax increases that transcended various councils, he said. "Ultimately the council is responsible for introducing and adopting the budget," Pezarras said. "Based on what they say, that is what we are instructed to do. When they wanted zeros, I gave them zeros." The proposed state cap legislation on the amount to be raised by taxation would not impact the Brick budget until 2008, he said. "It's a domino effect," Pezarras said. "If you artificially keep this year's amount to be raised by taxation low, by using revenue