Ocean County Freeholders Unveil 2016 Budget with Slight Increase

freeholders 1Ocean County Freeholders on March 9 unveiled the proposed 2016 County budget which provides increased funding for educational programs and assures money is available for the core county services provided to residents.

The Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders will formally introduce the $399.9 million spending package during the Board’s March 16 public meeting. The meeting begins at 4 p.m. and is held at the Ocean County Administration Building, Hooper Avenue, here. A public hearing on the budget and its anticipated adoption is scheduled for April 6.

Ocean County Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr., who is liaison to the Ocean County Finance Department, noted the county tax rate, under the spending plan, increases by 3/10ths of one cent bringing the county tax rate to 35.3 cents per $100 of equalized property value.

“For a homeowner owning a house valued at $300,000, the county property tax rate will go up about $9 in 2016,” Bartlett said.

Bartlett noted the budget includes $500,000 from surplus that will be appropriated to Ocean County College and the Ocean County Vocational Technical Schools increasing the 2016 appropriations to $14.9 million and $17.9 million respectively.

“The investments we make are investments in people,” said Freeholder Director John P. Kelly. “We invest in what is right for Ocean County. Combined we are investing $33 million for education at Ocean County College and our vo-tech schools.

“And, we don’t let the needy and vulnerable go without,” said Kelly as he noted the county is appropriating about $23 million for social services and $4.4 million for patients in state mental health institutions. “This budget is fiscally conservative, yet it meets the needs of the people of Ocean County.”

Freeholder Virginia E. “Ginny” Haines said the additional money appropriated for education helps many of the county residents in their goal to get a quality education at a reasonable cost.

“These are premiere facilities that students and residents can access, just as Ocean County is the premiere County in the state of New Jersey,” she said.

Bartlett said the proposed budget includes a surplus of $43.5 million, of which $16.5 million will be used in the budget.

“In order to maintain our AAA bond rating, it’s imperative we keep a surplus balance that is equal to about 10 percent of the budget,” Bartlett said. “Having the highest bond rating possible helps us tremendously when we need to bond for capital projects.

“In addition a strong surplus balance is necessary in times of natural disasters and emergencies as we all saw after Superstorm Sandy,” Bartlett said. “Our surplus, in part, allowed us to do the debris removal in many towns that simply could not have done it on their own.”

Bartlett noted Superstorm Sandy continues to have an effect on the county’s budget.

The County no longer is receiving federal emergency assistance funds which were provided for three years following the storm.

However, Bartlett noted that an increase in the county’s ratable base will offset the loss of the federal funds which totaled about $7 million in 2015.

“While we have seen an increase in the county’s ratable base, mostly from new construction, the tax base still remains far below – about 14 percent – the highs of 2009,” he said. “We haven’t caught up yet but we are seeing a gradual increase.”

Bartlett said the budget includes funds for new positions in the Sheriff’s Department and Prosecutor’s Office needed to implement the state mandated bail reform procedure that calls for a bail hearing within 48 hours of an arrest.

“We will need the personnel to staff the courthouse in order to meet the state mandate which will include administering the hearings on weekends.

Freeholder Joseph H. Vicari said the proposed budget provides continued essential services to County residents and holds no surprises for taxpayers.

“Under this budget our roads will be maintained, our seniors will be afforded nutritious meals, residents will be assisted during emergencies, our courts will be secure, our emergency response volunteers will be well trained and residents and visitors can enjoy our parks,” Vicari said. “This budget is the work of this board and the county staff, a group of professionals that are also fiscally responsible and provide the best services and programs possible.”

[TLS]

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