Fair Haven taxpayers in line for tax relief
2008 budget trims taxes; hearing set for March 10

FAIRHAVEN- TheBoroughCouncil introduced an $8.4 million spending plan last week, which could decrease the tax rate by half a cent per $100 of assessed valuation if approved.

The budget,which represents a $1.14million increase from last year's municipal budget of $7.3 million, was introduced by a unanimous council vote at the Feb. 11 council meeting.

This is the earliest introduction of a budget for the borough in recent years, according toMayorMichael Halfacre.

A public hearing and adoption of the budget is scheduled to be held onMarch 10 at the 7 p.m. council meeting.

The budget is available for public viewing at the Fair Haven Public Library as well as at Borough Hall before the public hearing and adoption.

For the average homeowner in Fair Haven whose home is assessed at $529,314, taxes would be decreased by approximately $35 annually under the new budget.

The borough's newtax rate under the proposed budget is 0.485 cents per $100 of assessed property value, according toHalfacre.

Last year's tax rate was 0.491 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, said Halfacre, who was proud to say that this is the first time municipal taxes have gown down in recent memory.

"We do not yet know what will happen with the county and school budgets, but I am very proud of the fact that our budget will lead to a reduction in municipal taxes," Halfacre said on his blog, which links to the boroughWeb site.

Halfacre extended thanks and congratulations toBoroughAdministratorMaryHowell as well as Chief Financial Officer Denise Jawadzik, Councilman Jon Peters, chairman, and other members of the Finance Committee.

Howell, who recently marked her oneyear anniversary with the borough, credited the decrease in the tax rate to a number of cost-cuttingmeasures that have been taken.

Some of these include a restructuring of the borough's capital programming, the council's cancellation of $2 million in approved debt, a cut-down of police overtime costs, and the implementation of shared services, such as the newly combined engineering and public works departments.

"It isn't a large amount, but it's a step in the right direction," Howell said.