Hey Middletown, Look What Long Branch Has Done With Their Budget

Hey Middletown, look what Long Branch has done with it's budget! 

According to the Asbury Park Press, Long Branch was looking at a 6.3% increase to it's municipal tax rate. That increase to the municipal budget, during these hard financial times, was unacceptable to the City Council.

After searching throughout the budget for additional savings and deferring some of their annual pension obligations, the tax rate increase has been cut from a projected 6.3% to a 2.2% tax hike, which would reflect a 4.1% savings from previous drafts of the budget.

Am I saying that I am happy that the people of Long Branch, with just a 2.2% increase, will have to pay more taxes this year? No, I'm not. In a perfect world there would be no need to increase the tax rate, but there is no such thing as a perfect world.  At least the City Council has found ways to keep from having such a large increase as earlier projected.

To me, that's a job well done.  Middletown on the other hand, has a $7+ million budget deficit to fill, how are they going to manage that?

I suspect by having a huge tax increase. 

The republican controlled Township Committee thinks that it is more important to maintain services that people have become accustomed to and hold concerts in the park, then making tough choices that may risk their hold on the township committee.

With 40% of this years budget already spent they better figure it out.