Voters will go to the polls Tuesday to decide on spending plans as well as candidates.
By: Mae Rhine
All school districts in the area are looking at tax increases in their proposed spending plans that will go before voters Tuesday.
School board candidates also will be chosen when voting takes place from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
In West Amwell, the board has proposed a $3.67 million budget for 2006-07. The tax levy, which is the portion of the budget raised through local taxes, would be $3,095,502.
For the owner of a property assessed at the township average of $444,855, elementary school taxes will increase by about $200 for a total of $2,801 a year.
There are four candidates for three seats on the board.
Incumbents Cindy Magill and Christopher Castellano are being challenged by Leila Rice and Peter Gasparro. Incumbent Joey Michelchuk opted not to seek re-election this year. The three open seats are for three-year terms.
Ms. Magill, a 23-year resident of the township, has been on the board for 10 years and its president for three years. She is self-employed at her business, Magill Storage in New Hope.
Ms. Magill, 52, has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Temple University and has done some graduate work in early childhood development.
Ms. Rice, 37, is a stay-at-home mother to her two young children.
Previously, she was a college instructor in history and writing at two universities. She also taught soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky.
More recently, she worked as a policy analyst on child development and education issues for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., under both the Clinton and Bush administrations.
Ms. Rice has a doctorate and master’s degree in American history from Vanderbilt University and a bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.
Mr. Castellano, 33, is a chemist. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in ceramic engineering from Rutgers University in 1995.
Mr. Gasparro, 37, is occupation director for partnership development at Barclays, a bank in Wilmington, Del.
He received a master’s degree in corporate communications in 2001 and a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing in 1990, both from Seton Hall University.
In Lambertville, the board is proposing a budget of almost $2.78 million for 2006-07, but warns staff cuts could be on the horizon.
The tax levy, which is the amount that would be raised through local taxes, would account for $2,418,317. The owner of a property assessed at the city average of $330,000 would pay $42.24 more for a total of $1,214.40 a year.
The tax rate would be 36.8 cents per every $100 of assessed value, a decrease from the 40.7-cent tax rate when last year’s average assessment was $288,000.
There also are four candidates in Lambertville, vying for three three-year seats. They are incumbents Steven Williamson and Dorothy Anthes as well as Karen Conlon and Grant Miller.
Mr. Williamson, 48, is a financial and business analyst for Cenlar First Savings Bank in Ewing.
He received a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing in 1980.
Mrs. Anthes, 49, is a registered nurse at Abington (Pa.) Memorial Hospital and the clinical charge nurse of the GI Procedure Unit.
She graduated from South Hunterdon Regional High School in 1975 and from the Abington Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in 1978.
Ms. Conlon, 47, is in sales and business development for International Banking. She received a bachelor’s degree in 1980 from LaSalle University in Philadelphia.
Mr. Miller, 38, is director of channel sales and alliances for a privately held software company. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing in 1990 from Kutztown University.
At South Hunterdon Regional High School, the board wants the OK to spend $8.66 million next year.
Most of the tax hike is attributed to a $20.8 million construction and renovation project that was approved by voters in a September referendum.
The tax rate for the three sending districts Lambertville, Stockton and West Amwell varies because of a state-mandated equalization formula based on taxable property in each municipality.
Lambertville’s share is 54.63 percent. Stockton’s share is 4.58 percent. West Amwell’s share is 40.78 percent.
Property owners in West Amwell would see the steepest increase. The owner of a property assessed at the township average of $444,855 would pay $438.35 more for a total of $2,464.50 for the 2006-07 school year. The proposed tax rate in West Amwell is 55.4 cents for every $100 of assessed value, up from 49.2 cents when the average assessment was $411,819.
In Stockton, the owner of a property assessed at the borough average of $166,895 would pay $133.52 more for a total of $1,305.12. The proposed tax rate in Stockton would be 78.2 cents per every $100 of assessed value, up from 70.2 cents. The average assessment last year in the borough was the same.
In Lambertville, the owner of a property assessed at the city average of $330,000 would pay about $124.50 more for a total of $1,996.50. The tax rate in the city would be 60.5 cents per every $100 of assessed value, down from 65 cents last year when the average assessment was $288,000.
The tax levy, which is the amount raised through local taxes, would be $6,839,303.
There is no contest for seats on the South board. Incumbents Robert Campbell and Laurie Weinstein are running unopposed to represent Lambertville. incumbent Boyd Hartpence faces no opposition to represent West Amwell.
In Stockton, the Board of Education has proposed spending $561,932 next year.
The budget calls for a total tax levy of $549,360, up from last year’s $500,752. For the owner of a home assessed at the borough average of $166,433, that means an increase of $150 a year or a total of $2,031 a year, calculated on the proposed tax rate of $1.22 per $100 of assessed valuation.
Last year, the owner of a home assessed at the same average of $166,433 paid $1,881 a year based on a tax rate of $1.13.
The average value of a home in the borough has stayed the same because a revaluation has not yet been completed.
There also is no contest in Stockton for the two three-year terms available. Incumbent James Gallagher and newcomer David Shearer have no competition for the seats. Incumbent Tracy Giannattasio decided not to seek re-election.
Here’s where to vote.
In West Amwell, voting takes place at the municipal building at 150 Rocktown-Lambertville Road.
In Stockton, it takes place at the firehouse on Mill Street.
In Lambertville, residents of the 1st and 2nd wards will cast their ballots at the YMAC on Wilson Street. Those in the 3rd Ward will vote at the Union firehouse on North Main Street.

