SSouth River introduced its 2008 budget in March, and after waiting six months for the state Division of Local Government Services to review the $30 million spending plan, the borough hopes to adopt it next month.

Andrew Salerno, the borough's business administrator, said the borough has to amend the proposed spending plan to reflect the $200,000 in extraordinary aid it received from the state and an agreement South River has with Old Bridge for that township's building and code enforcement department to serve the borough.

He said the borough's request to waive the state-imposed 4 percent budget limitation so it can raise a little more than $400,000 in additional tax monies would come before the state's local finance board Oct. 8 and, "pending approval, we will be in a position to finally adopt (our budget) on Oct. 14."

South River Mayor Ray Ep pinger said the lack of an adopted budget has made it more difficult to get things done in the borough.

"We've been put in a wait-and- see pattern the entire year," Ep pinger said. "We've put out esti mated tax bills. We haven't been able to make decisions on some projects that needed to be done."

South River is in an unusual position because it operates its own electric utility. The $30 million budget includes $12 million to run the electric utility.

Eppinger said the spending waiver is needed because the borough received less state aid this year and $250,000 less in host community benefits from Middlesex County-owned Edgeboro Landfill, which is located in East Brunswick. South River is one of the towns ad jacent to the landfill that receives money to compensate it for the environmental impact.

He said he is concerned that if the borough doesn't receive the waiver, "we'll have 60 days to come up with the $400,000 to balance the budget."

"We may have to close South River down in December to close the gap," Eppinger said. "We're hoping that we'll get the approval. We'll do everything they (the state) want us to do, including pass the amendments."

Chris Donnelly, a spokesman for the state Department of Community Affairs, of which the Local Fi nance Board is a part, said there are 63 towns in the state, including South River, that have not yet adopted their 2008 budgets.

"There may be a variety of reasons for a delay in the adoption of a municipal budget, and DCA is al ways willing to work with municipalities to ensure adoption in as timely a manner as possible," Don nelly said.