BOE, Town To Hold Public Budget Meeting Thursday

Two weeks after the Manchester School District's, the board of education and town council will hold a public meeting on Thursday to discuss potential further cuts to the spending plan.

The meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at , will give school and township officials the opportunity to publicly discuss ways to reduce the $46 million budget that called for a tax increase of $27.73 per every $100,000 of assessed property value.

Of that $46 million, nearly $38.7 million, or 81.6 percent, of funds were to be raised by taxpayers. The school district receives 9.8 percent of its funding from the state due to the township's large senior population. 

Tallies from the Ocean County clerk's office show that , or a 6-percent margin.

Council president Craig Wallis said at the town council's May 9 meeting that he does not expect any final announcements regarding the budget to be made at Thursday's joint meeting.

"I don't anticipate any kind of decision," he said.

Dr. Frank Marlow, a former Bergen County schools superintendent, has been approved by the council to give his recommendations on what areas of the budget could be reduced.

"We are paying him to give us his opinion on where cuts can be made," Wallis said.

Township attorney Steve Secare said that Marlow will be paid an initial fee of $4,000 to review the budget and prepare an analysis. Should Marlow be needed to attend public or private meetings, he will be paid $175 per hour, though his total fee cannot exceed $6,000.

"I know Dr. Marlow pretty well, and if he has to, so to speak, eat part of the bill, he will because that's what the contract states," Secare said. "If he comes down two or three times, he understands he may not be paid fully for his services, but that's the deal."

There are no expectations that Marlow will find reductions, Secare said, as that would create an "improper contract." 

Secare said that Manchester and other Ocean County school districts have used Marlow's services before and the former educator is "very well qualified.

"We have used Dr. Marlow as an expert witness on at least two prior occasions and he has assisted other boards of education in both Jackson and Lakewood," he said. "He's done this evaluation throughout the state of New Jersey and New York."

Councilmember Kenneth Vanderziel said that he and councilmember Warren Reiter met with members of the board of education and Superintendent David Trethaway to see what could be cut. 

"We have looked at some items and are considering some things," he said. According to Vanderziel, using Marlow as an expert will serve as "reinforcement that we make sure we are on the right track."

The revised budget must be submitted to the state by May 19.