Voters approve five of eight budgets

Northern Burlington County school budget and school board election results.

By: Scott Morgan and William Wichert
   Five of eight school budgets in northern Burlington County were passed by voters Tuesday, in an election that saw few surprises.
   Voters in Florence turned down their district’s $22 million proposal, while voters in Mansfield squelched the budgets for the township elementary school district and Northern Burlington County Regional School District.
   New Hanover’s school board lost one incumbent to a newcomer this year, while new members will replace ones who decided not to run again in Chesterfield, Florence and Springfield. Mansfield also will see four new faces on its elementary board after three members did not seek re-election and another resigned.
   Following are the results of the Bordentown Regional, Chesterfield, Florence, Mansfield, Northern Burlington County Regional, New Hanover, North Hanover and Springfield school district elections.
Bordentown Regional
   The regional district’s $30.2 million budget passed by a margin of 538-311. These results came after the district’s $25 million plan failed last year, when a tax increase was proposed in two of the three municipalities. This year’s budget includes a tax increase for only one municipality, Bordentown City. In Bordentown Township, where residents will see a tax savings of $111.41, there were 363 votes in support of the budget and 189 votes against it. Fieldsboro residents, who will save $33.19 under the approved budget, cast 20 votes for the package and only four against it.
   Bordentown City voted 155-118 in favor of the budget. With a tax increase of 6.8 cents to $2.40 per every $100 of assessed property value, owners of a home assessed at the city average of $101,361 will see their taxes rise by $69.78.
   Running unopposed, three incumbents were re-elected to three-year seats on the school board.
   Pauline Glenn, representing Fieldsboro, received 24 votes; Christine Trogdon one of the township’s representatives, received 416 votes; and Joann Dansbury, representing the city, received 224 votes, according to the county Web site.
Chesterfield
   Voters Tuesday passed the district’s $3.95 million budget that carries a tax rate that is 4.5 cents less than last year’s budget. The budget passed 136- 115.
   Last year’s tax rate of $1.299 per $100 of assessed property value will drop to $1.257, meaning that the owners of a home assessed at the township average of $212,000 will pay $2,664.84 in school taxes. That figure is down nearly $90 from last year.
   School board President Craig Their, who received 166 votes, and newcomer Denise Koetas-Dale, who received 177 won the district’s two open three-year seats in an uncontested race. Ms. Koetas-Dale will replace outgoing board member Debbie Kelly.
Florence
   Voters Tuesday shot down the district’s $22.28 million budget proposal, results that did not surprise district officials.
   With 584 votes against and 388 in favor of the budget, township officials will gather to find areas to cut from the budget and will then submit the amended budget to the Burlington County superintendent. Florence Superintendent Louis Talarico said the board knew going into this election that such a sizeable budget would be a tough sell, despite the fact that officials eliminated six positions within the district, gathered grants and built business partnerships to offset the tax impact.
   The passing of the December 2003 referendum, however, was what Dr. Talarico pointed to as a major reason for the high budget. The $43 million package to build a new high school and repair to the existing district buildings passed in 2003, but carries with it a 20-year bond. In the first few years of paying the debt down, he said, the interest rates are higher, thus inflating the budget.
   Had it passed, the budget would add an extra $245 to the school tax bill of a resident who owns a home assessed at the $112,000 township average. The new budget will carry a tax rate of $2.306 per $100 of assessed property value, meaning that the owner of a $112,000 home can expect to pay $2,583 in school taxes this year. This tax rate is 21.8 cents higher than last year’s, 19 cents of which are directly attributable to the referendum’s impact.
   In the race for three three-year school board seats, John Groze received 624 votes and will replace outgoing board member Joe Fitzpatrick, who did not run. Board members William Federico and Paul Ostrander, who received 606 and 560 votes, respectively, will return to their posts. Newcomer Tom Waltz received 455 votes.
Mansfield
   For the fourth straight year, township voters rejected the proposed elementary school district budget.
   The $8.7 million budget, which includes a 1-cent decrease in the tax rate, we rejected by a margin of 759-443. Under the proposed tax rate of $1.21 per every $100 of assessed property value, owners of a home assessed at the township average of $178,000 would have seen an annual savings of $25.
   "It’s a little disappointing, but we’ll go on," said Business Administrator Lisa Giovanelli, who said the district must now present its failed budget to the Township Committee, which may recommend cuts in the financial package.
   The election of four newcomers to the school board went over much more smoothly than the budget. First-time candidates Scott Barnes, Anthony Meduri Jr. and Eileen Wainwright ran unopposed for three three-year seats and received 666, 684, and 712 votes, respectively. They will replace board President Margaret Traino, Vice President Robert Arenge, and member Scott Preidel, who did not seek re-election.
   Joseph Golowski received 668 votes in his run to replace former board member Marion Tallon for the remaining two years of her term. Ms. Tallon resigned on Feb. 16.
New Hanover
   The number 64 was the winning number on Tuesday for incumbent Charles Roohr and challenger Shawn Titko, who won two three-year seats on the school board. Each of them received 64 votes, while incumbent Robert Clugsten received 53 votes.
   Voters in New Hanover and Wrightstown Borough also approved the elementary school district’s $4.3 million budget by a slim margin of 54-45 votes. The budget includes a 6-cent tax increase for township residents. Under the new rate of $1.57 per every $100 of assessed property value, the owner of a home in New Hanover assessed at the township average of $130,000 will have to pay an extra $78 and an overall bill of $2,041.
   Wrightstown residents will see their tax rate go down by 4 cents to $1.62. Owners of a home assessed at the borough average of $94,000 will pay $37.60 less in taxes this year as part of an overall bill of $1,522.80.
North Hanover
   Township voters gave the OK to the elementary school district’s $18.6 million budget by a margin of 177-83. The budget includes a 1-cent tax increase and a new rate of 74.3 cents per every $100 of assessed property value. Owners of a home assessed at the township average of $173,000 will see their taxes increase by $17 and a total bill of $1,285.39.
   Incumbents Michael J. Grant and Michael J. Crawford ran unopposed for two three-year seats on the five-member board and were re-elected with 184 and 192 votes, respectively.
Northern Burlington
   In a repeat of last year’s school election, the regional district’s $30.6 million budget for 2005-2006 school year was approved by voters in three of its sending municipalities on Tuesday, but not in Mansfield.
   The budget failed overall with 844 votes cast in support of it and 1,165 against it, but 799 of those votes against the budget came from Mansfield voters. Mansfield, where 334 people voted in favor of the budget, was expected to be the only municipality to receive a tax increase in this year’s budget.
   The tax rate in Mansfield would have increased by 10.7 cents to $1.19 per every $100 of assessed property value. The owner of a home assessed at the township average of $168,000 would pay $185.20 more in taxes as part of an overall bill of $1,999.20.
   In North Hanover, voters were in favor of the budget 167-73. That township’s tax rate was set to decrease by 1.5 cents to a new rate of 95.9 cents per every $100 of assessed property value. The owner of a home assessed at the township average of $150,000 would see a reduction of $22.50, and overall regional school taxes of $1,438.50.
   Chesterfield voters approved by the budget by a margin of 143-96. The financial package would have given the township a tax decrease of 2.1 cents and a total rate of $1.08 per every $100 of assessed property value. This decrease would mean a tax reduction of $44.52 and a new tax bill of $2,289.60 for the owners of a home assessed at the township average of $212,000.
   The budget also was approved in Springfield Township by slim margin of 200-197 votes. For those residents, the tax rate would drop by 52.8 cents to a revised rate of 70.3 cents per every $100 of assessed property value. Given that the township just underwent a reassessment, the owner of a home assessed at the new assessment of $323,500 would still have to pay $2,274.21 in regional school taxes, meaning an increase of about $304.61.
   Business Administrator Richard Kaz said the district will now have to schedule a meeting with all four municipal governments to reach a consensus on the budget. Each municipality can make recommendations, which the district is allowed to accept or appeal to the county superintendent, he said.
   "It’s more efficient to bring all four municipalities together at one time," said Mr. Kaz. "It’s chaotic, but more efficient."
   Of the four open seats on the district’s Board of Education, two incumbents and two newcomers were elected without any opposition.
   Linda Pastore received 290 votes for a two-year term representing Springfield, and incumbent Kermit Pigott was re-elected to his three-year Springfield seat with 291 votes.
   Roy Johnson, a former board member, won a newly created three-year seat for North Hanover with 195 votes, and incumbent Thomas Sensbach earned another term representing Mansfield with 695 votes.
Springfield
   Voters Tuesday passed the district’s $4.3 million budget plan that carries a tax levy of about 59 cents per $100 of assessed property value. This translates into a school tax bill of about $1,900 for the owner of the average-assessed township property, $323,500. This assessment is new in the township, which revised its average property valuation in March for the first time since 1988. Under last year’s average assessment of $16,000 and last year’s tax rate of $1.092 per $100 of assessed valuation, the owner of the same house paid about $1,750.
   The budget passed 231-215.
   The two incumbents seeking re-election won Tuesday. Ralph E. King earned 229 votes while member Robert Melillo received 270, allowing each to return for three-year terms on the board.
   The third three-year seat was captured by newcomer James Specca, who garnered 265 votes. He will replace outgoing board member John Linton Jr., who did not run.
   John C. Ainsworth and Sheldon Douglas Linser finished with 183 and 155 votes, respectively.