NEWARK — The Newark City Council adopted a 2013 budget Tuesday that lowers property taxes for the fist-time in Mayor Cory Booker's seven-year tenure.

"The adoption of today’s budget establishes a stable foundation for continued economic growth and reflects the culmination of years of difficult choices and hard-won compromises," Booker, who is running for U.S. Senate, said in a statement. "I am particularly proud that we are now able to hire 50 new uniformed police officers to patrol our streets and help keep residents safe."

The budget is much the same as the one Business Administrator Julien Neals introduced in July. The original spending plan of $587.9 million increased to $639.5 million due to roughly $50 million in federal grants and subsidies that are not counted in the mayor’s introduction.

The city received $15 million less in state aid than it had anticipated but made up for the gap with better-than-projected numbers in payroll tax collection, $3 million in a new car rental tax and proceeds from the sale of city properties, among other, smaller items.

Homeowners will still see their property taxes decrease by 13.6 percent from last year’s rate.

The new rate of $2.98 per $100 of assessed value cuts the annual bill from about $6,037 to $5,215 for the average homeowner. The reduced tax rate comes in large part due to a revaluation that shifted more of the burden onto commercial properties and away from homeowners.

"I have to give my congratulations to the administration for working very hard to bring fiscal sanity to the city," East Ward Councilman Augusto Amador said.

Amador, who rarely votes in favor of budgets, citing tax increases, was among five council members to approve the measure Tuesday Councilmen Carlos Gonzalez, Anibal Ramos, Darrin Sharif and Luis Quintana were the others.

Ramos also had high praise.

"This is the most fiscally sound budget that I have voted with less of a reliance on one-shot revenues and without the need for emergency state aid," he said in a statement.

Councilwoman Mildred Crump abstained and Councilmen Ras Baraka and Ron C. Rice were not present.

One vacant seat remains on the council since Donald Payne Jr. was elected to fill his father’s seat in Congress. A special election to fill that seat will be held in November.

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