Sparta 2013 Municipal Budget Coming March 5

The Township Council plans to introduce the 2013 municipal budget at a special public meeting next week.

Mayor Gilbert Gibbs called for the special meeting. He said earlier when setting goals for the year, the council would address the amount of debt and borrowing in the budget and bring in a budget below the mandated 2 percent cap.

The council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 5 at town hall.

The township’s 2012 budget called for a $23.53 million spending plan supported by a local tax levy of $15.6 million. State aid in the 2012 budget was $1.2 million.

The budget was based on a total township property assessment of $2.358 billion, down $37 million from 2011, when the township’s total value was 2.395 billion.

The 2012 budget was $238,000 smaller than the 2011 municipal budget, but included $476,288 more in local taxes than the previous year.

The 2012 municipal tax rate was 66.2 cents per $100 of assessed value, and the owner of a home assessed at the township average of $301,368 paid $1,988 in municipal property taxes last year..

That amount represented a $80 increase  over 2011.

The 2012 municipal budget also included $146.96 in library taxes and $33.19 in local open space taxes for each taxed property.