Are your municipal taxes going up this year in Bridgewater?
BRIDGEWATER - The municipal use tax rate for township property owners will remain flat under the terms of the $47.5 million budget introduced by the township council on Monday.
The tax rate, which funds only for municipal services such as police, roads and recreation, will remain at 23.8 cents per $100 of assessed value.
The overall property tax rate, which includes levies for the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School Ddistrict and Somerset County, has not yet been determined.
In 2021, the municipal tax rate made up only 11% of the total property tax rate of $2.079 per $100 of assessed value.
In 2021, Bridgewater had the lowest municipal use tax rate of Somerset County's 21 municipalities.
Local news: Bridgewater-Raritan's revised plan calls for major middle school project
Helping to keep the tax rate down is an increase of the overall value of property in Bridgewater from $9.36 billion to $9.74 billion.
The budget, Mayor Matthew Moench said, "gets the job done for our residents. It will fully fund all of the services that you have come to expect while beginning to position the Township in a way that ensures its fiscal health for years to come.”
Moench explained that a rise in property tax bills could be attributed to higher assessments.
"Any increase seen by residents on the local portion of their bill will be a result of the mandated reassessment process which could change the value of their property," the mayor said.
Moench said he was pleased to propose a budget with no municipal tax rate increase.
Bridgewater crime: NJ Appellate Court upholds Bridgewater carjacking conviction
“I refuse to be the mayor that is looked back on years from now and derided for kicking the proverbial can down the road as so many elected officials do,” he said. “Maintaining fiscal stability while focusing on disciplined budgeting and providing top tier services to our residents is the challenge and the opportunity."
The township is also continuing its ambitious road improvement strategy by awarding a $1.067 million contract to improve Stony Brook Drive and a $1.24 million contract to improve Sherlin Drive, Cornell Drive, Southbrook Road and a portion of Fairfield Road.
The township council also introduced a bond ordinance for $989,150 for a stream bank restoration project at Washington Valley Road, Carteret Road, Long Road and Valley View Road because of damage from Hurricane Ida.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Are your municipal taxes going up this year in Bridgewater?
