BREAKING NEWS: Jameburg budget passes

BREAKING NEWS: Vote tally for write-in candidates remains unclear.

By: Stephanie Brown
   Voters approved Jamesburg’s $10.87 million school budget Tuesday night by a 171-63 vote, while a battle between two write-in candidates for the third school board seat could not be decided Tuesday night.
   Inumbents Ann Toth and James Eldridge were both easily reelected. Ms. Toth garnered 176 votes and Mr. Eldridge earned 165 votes.
   Write-in candidate Ted J. Somers received 31 votes, while Darren Larsen received 29. However, several voters appeared to have misspelled the candidates’ names. Those ballots will have to be reviewed by the Middlesex County election officials to determine voter intent. If all of the questionable votes are accepted, the race would be a tie with each candidate having 31 votes.
   The approved budget calls for a tax reduction of 4 cents, to $2.72 per $100 of assessed property value. Under that rate, the owner of a house assessed at the borough’s average of $123,319 would pay about $3,354 in taxes, $50 less than this year.