As I stated when the budget was introduced, the 2021 budget remains substantially below the nearly $100 million budget from 2007.
And, I wish to reiterate this point again about cost avoidance and tax increase avoidance, as achieved in the budgets over the past few years.
When the 2007 budget is extrapolated out with the at least 2% increases per year that almost every other county has routinely added to their budgets – that 2007 budget today would have grown to over $130 million.
Compare that figure to the 2021 Hunterdon county budget of $92.3 million being introduced tonight. That is significant cost avoidance for the taxpayers.
And when you consider that many counties routinely increase their tax rates by at least the 2% cap, and some do much more, the fact that the Hunterdon County tax rate has remained at 31.5 cents since 2018 , means the rate is at least 6% lower than it could be.
The budget also continues this Board’s pay as you go no debt capital policy and contains no debt service for the seventh year in a row.
Those facts, as the Director said, shows the taxpayers we on this Board are listening, and we take our fiscal responsibilities seriously.
As I have previously noted, the construction of the budget is not a one person show, or even a two person show.
Each year I have served on the Budget Committee I have expressed my appreciation for the teamwork involved. This year not only with Mr. Van Doren who joined me again as a member of the Committee, but also to our Administrator, CFO, our Department heads, and our employees, all of whom make the county work within the framework of the budget. I thank all involved.