Spotswood defeated tax hike reduced by 2 cents
Bleacher replacements will be forgone to achieve $148,000 cut
BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

Spotswood borough and school officials have agreed to trim the school tax rate increase by 2 cents.

The Board of Education's proposed 9.7-cent tax rate hike, which was defeated by voters in the April 17 school election, will be brought down to 7.7 cents, saving homeowners about $50. The owner of the average property in the borough will still pay about $194 more in school taxes for the 2007-08 school year.

The decision was made Monday by the Borough Council and approved the same night by the Board of Education. The two bodies held a joint meeting on the matter.

Councilwoman Marge Drozd, a former Board of Education president, agreed with the reduction, which amounts to a cut of $148,000 from the proposed $22.25 million school budget.

She said she feels the school board is "diligent" with the expenses it places in the school budget, just as the council is trying to "make due with less" in its municipal budget.

But if the council opted not to cut the budget, it would be going against the will of the voters, she added.

"The vote is reflective of the will of the people," Drozd said.

Residents defeated the tab by a vote of 468-306 during the April 17 school election, with 19 percent of the borough's registered voters casting ballots.

Drozd said she has seen a lot of homes go up for sale in Spotswood, and she understands the pressures that taxpayers are facing. A large percentage of the population is reaching the retirement age, and people are realizing they cannot afford to stay in New Jersey, she said.

"God bless you if you can retire and afford to stay here," Drozd said. "A lot of people are moving south."

Council President Curtis Stollen said he feels the 2-cent cut is an adequate response to the voters' decision. He said officials had to be careful because, when ordering tax decreases, it is possible to impinge on necessary school programs and services. The school budget does not contain much in the way of fat, he noted.

Councilman Thomas Barlow said that each year the school budget is different, and in contrast to last year when the council did not order a cut, he felt there were areas in this budget that could be eliminated. He also noted that this budget was defeated by a greater margin than last year's.

"We felt we could do with the two-point cut," he said.

Board President Richard O'Brien said he was not surprised by the council's desire for a reduction, even though last year the governing body decided against trimming that year's defeated budget. He attributed the change of direction to the statewide emphasis on reducing property taxes, with legislators at least discussing the idea now in Trenton.

O'Brien said the board will achieve the cut by foregoing the replacement of bleachers in the high school gymnasium.

"We will have to put the bleacher project back into a future budget request or add it to any future referendum we do for capital projects, which means it will cost more in the long run due to rising prices and/or the cost of bonding money," O'Brien said.

The board's capital budget, which stood at $270,000 before the cut, also includes money for electrical wiring, and masonry and other projects at various schools.

The board's operating budget is increasing by $440,000 for the coming school year. The budget will provide for smaller classes at Schoenly School, more library books and materials at the district's media centers, increased math instruction at Memorial School, and 10 advanced placement courses at the high school, among other goals.

"The Board of Education appreciated the thorough and fair approach the Borough Council took with the budget process, and we were glad we could come to an agreement that was in the best interests of both our students and the taxpayers," O'Brien said.