Stone Harbor Budget to Increase $300,000

STONE HARBOR –– Councilman Karl Giulian, chairman of the Finance and Administration Committee, presented the governing body with a comparison of the borough’s 2008 budget appropriations with its projected 2009 plan at its meeting Dec. 16.
Giulian said the borough can expect an overall budget increase of about $300,000 or 4.68 percent. This is because of increased unclassified, administrative and utility expenses.
Unclassified expenses, which includes employee pensions and 5 percent down payments on all capital projects, has increased by 9.37 percent, or $54,338, from $580,180 to $634,518. This is because of expected increases in the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS).
PERS has the largest expected increase from 2008 to 2009 with 43.34 percent or $58,531 more.
According to the state Treasury Department Web site, the pension is open to teachers, police, fire, and judicial workers or “state, county, municipal, authority, and school board employees who are precluded from any other NJ state pension system.”
Giulian’s report reflects a 2009 decrease of $4,193, or about 2 percent, of the police and firefighter retirement system funding.
As of Dec. 9, the borough spent over $1.7 million out of the $1.9 million anticipated in the 2008 budget for administrative expenses. The allotment for this department is projected to increase to about $2 million for 2009.
The Natural Resources Committee’s budget line is projected to decrease about 43 percent, Councilman Julian Miraglia, chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, said a 58 percent cut was due to “redefined needs.” However, 32 percent of the animal control line item may increase due to more total animal reports this year, said Councilman Brian Levinson, chairman of the Public Safety Committee.
Utility expenses are projected to increase by about 11 percent or $40,000 in 2009 to account for an increase in the gasoline appropriation.
Council approved a $50,000 emergency appropriation for gas last November because the line item was 100 percent spent.
Contact Truluck at (609) 886-8600 ext. 24 or at: ltruluck @cmcherald.com