Municipal Budget Hearing Tonight

If you have something to say about Middletown's , tonight's the night.

The public hearing for the budget is set for tonight at a special meeting at 6 p.m. at .

This year's $63. 5 million spending plan, with a tax levy of $47.6 million, has been touted by officials as the most fiscally prudent one in more than a decade. The budget, that translates into a tax hike of about $43 for the average taxpayer, with property assessed at $380,000, falls under Gov. Chris Christie's mandated 2 percent cap on spending.

Still, there's an increase. The increase is 1.97 percent tax levy increase over last year’s $46.7 million, or an increase of $919,079. 

Officials have touted the plan, citing flat state aid. The frugal spending plan was attributed to successful collective bargaining with unions, especially police, to lower benefits costs by raising employee contributions. They also credited township department ,  and staff reductions through attrition. Many who retired from staff positions were not replaced.

About 27 township employees have been laid off in the past two years. 

Health care costs this year came in at an estimated $7.8 million, or roughly $400,000 less than last year, which will be collected through employee contributions that did not exist previously. 

The municipal budget accounts for 21 percent of the tax bill residents get in the mail. The Board of Education budget represents 62 percent of the bill, with the remainder represented by county taxes and elements such as the open space tax and the library costs.

Of the 21 percent in municipal costs, most goes to salaries and wages. Police salaries represent 53 percent of the tab, with Public Works and Engineering salaries accounting for 19 percent, library staff representing 8 percent and all other employees accounting for another 4 to 5 percent.