Keyport passes budget with 6-cent tax increase Sheridan says more could have been done to keep taxes down BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer Joe Sheridan KEYPORT - Unlike most towns in Monmouth County, Keyport received an extraordinary state aid package last week. Still, the extra cash isn't nearly enough to keep taxes from rising, officials say. On Aug. 6, Keyport officials announced they received $100,000 of the $300,000 they requested from the state. This means the municipal tax rate will increase approximately 6 cents, from $1.34 to $1.40 per $100 assessed value, according to borough officials. Councilman Joseph Sheridan cast the lone dissenting vote against the newly amended budget, arguing more could still be done to cut costs. "It left us $200,000 short and that was going to cause taxes to go up," Sheridan said Friday. Sheridan added he hoped the Borough Council and mayor would agree to hold another meeting in order to come up with cost-saving ideas. "I'm not saying they were OK with the tax increase, but I was not OK with it," Sheridan said. "Even though we didn't get it, that doesn't mean we couldn't go back and do a little more work," he added. "We're spending an awful lot of money, and I'm just saying we could have done a better job - myself included." Sheridan pointed to employee salaries and benefits as the "main culprits," but said he hoped to trim spending by asking each department to cut just a small portion of their overall budget. As a starting point, Sheridan named the many miscellaneous accounts that exist within most borough departments. According to Councilman George Walling, Mayor Robert Bergen was not fond of Sheridan's idea. On Friday, Walling said the mayor chastised Sheridan for not having a well-thought-out plan. Sheridan, for the most part, agreed with this statement, but nevertheless believed the matter was worth pursuing. "Mayor Bergen's right," Sheridan said. "I didn't have any great plan, but I knew if I got the six council people and the mayor in a room, we could have come up with additional decreases." Bergen could not be reached for comment. Sheridan said he will try a different strategy next year. "We can't keep doing this," Sheridan said.