Modest Tax Increase Projected For Glen Rock Residents

Initial projections show homeowners paying just under an average of $50 more in municipal taxes for 2012, according to Mayor John van Keuren.

In a brief telephone conversation Tuesday, van Keuren said local taxpayer money that must be raised in the upcoming budget will rise slightly, from just over $12.47 million to about $12.67 million.

For the average homeowner assessed at around $547,000, that amounts to a real increase of $48, up 1.7 percent. The budget, to be introduced Wednesday night at the public meeting, is under the mandated 2 percent cap on the local tax levy, officials said. in 2012.

"We're continuing to manage the balance between service and cost, and we're preserving a lot of the services residents are used to while staying within all guidelines and caps imposed by the state," van Keuren said. "We don't have some of the more fundamental problems other towns in the area have."

Some cost drivers to the budget include higher fuel prices, subsidizing the library, worker salary increases and various shared services with the school board, van Keuren said. Council members and administrators will also be taking a close look at health benefits and insurance costs, he added.

Asked if there were any worker layoffs or new hires expected, the mayor declined to answer, though he remarked there are no plans to reduce municipal services.

Borough Administrator Lenora Benjamin stated at the Monday night borough council meeting that budget information and "highlights" would be up on the website prior to the introduction.

Benjamin did not return a call seeking comment Tuesday.