Politics & Government

Cinnaminson to See Slight Drop in County Taxes

Freeholder Director Bruce Garganio says the county's per capita spending is the lowest statewide.

Burlington County’s public hearing on the budget went off relatively quietly Wednesday, with only one Mt. Holly resident opining about the spending plan.

A delay with state approvals thwarted freeholders’ plans to put the $216.9 million budget to a vote. Freeholders expect to adopt the budget at their June 22 meeting instead.

As proposed, the 2011 budget cuts $5.9 million overall in taxes and cuts spending by $4.3 million. Freeholder Director Bruce Garganio touted the plan as the lowest county per capita spending in the state.

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Burlington County spends $483.45 per capita, compared with Camden County at $628, Atlantic County at $694 and Cape May County at $1,477, according to Garganio.

“It shows we’re doing an awful lot with the dollars we spend,” he said during the meeting at the county's Mt. Holly headquarters.

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Mt. Holly resident Paul Blacy questioned whether the steady decreases—this is the 21st consecutive year Burlington County has cut its tax rate—could impact residents’ quality of life.

“When you cut down to the bone, at some point in time, it will affect the quality of services,” Blacy said.

As proposed, the county tax rate for the coming year will be 30.96¢ per $100 of assessed property value, compared to 30.99¢ in the 2010 budget. 

County budgets are equalized, so towns pay a different share of the cost. (Click on the PDFs, above, to see each Burlington County town’s proposed tax rate and the 2011 budget.)

The 2011 Cinnaminson tax rate, as proposed, will be 30.23¢ per $100 of assessed property value, down from 31.63¢ in 2010. Residents with a home assessed at the township average of $295,000 will pay about $892 in county taxes.

If all goes as planned, the freeholders will adopt the budget at their next meeting on June 22. The state, which must approve the county spending plan, had three other budgets under consideration at the same time and couldn’t get to Burlington County’s in time for last night’s meeting, according to the county clerk.


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