Brick Budget Introduction Could Come Tonight; DPW Looks Safe

The introduction of the Brick Township municipal operating budget is expected to come at Tuesday's township council meeting.

Councilman Dan Toth said Tuesday that the budget proposal will keep the current tax rate stable while reducing the tax levy by about $200,000.

"It's a well-crafted budget," Toth said.

The budget will include funding for the township's public works department, he said.

An ordinance up for consideration by the council Tuesday would allow the township to exceed the 2.5 percent state limitation on budget appropriations and establish what is known as a "cap bank" which would allow the township to bank unused revenue for use in the next two years.

Towns often use the appropriations cap exception as a precautionary measure to save money in case revenues go down in future years or if spending is forced upwards due to an emergency. A municipality can remain within the levy cap even if the appropriations cap is exceeded.

According to a copy of the ordinance proposal, the township will exceed the appropriations cap by $635,212.

Toth said the balance in the township's surplus account is expected to grow this year.

"The council we have now refuses to utilize one-shot deals in the budget," he said.

The plan to keep public works indicates that the council will introduce a municipal spending plan that differs significantly from a budget proposal favored by Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis which cut spending by about 8 percent by eliminating the township's public works department.

A majority of council members have indicated that they favored keeping the department, which handles solid waste and recycling pickup as well as a laundry list of other services.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the township .