Budgets, boards at polls Tuesday

By: Cara Latham and Stephanie Prokop
   Area voters on Tuesday will decide the fate of eight school district budgets and 30 candidates who have filed to run in their districts.
   Below is a breakdown of the budgets, the candidates and the polling details in local school districts.
   • In the Bordentown Regional School District, three three-year school board seats are available this year in Bordentown City, Bordentown Township and Fieldsboro. One incumbent, Brian Lynch, joins Peggy Gens, Michael McSloy, and Kim Zablow running for the spots.
   The total budget is $35,557,982, which is a 4.3 percent increase from the 2006-07 plan. Of that amount, voters will decide on $25,481,831 to be raised through taxation. The budget includes six new teaching positions for general education, an additional part-time ESL staff member, and two additional special education teachers.
   This year, the proposed school budget would include a tax decrease in Bordentown Township and Bordentown City.
   In Bordentown Township, the school tax rate would decrease 1.6 cents per $100 of assessed value from $2.831 to $2.816. The average home assessed at the township average of $132,133 would see taxes decrease by about $20.80.
   In Bordentown City, the school tax rate will decrease by 19.1 cents per $100 of assessed value from $2.955 to $2.764. Since the average assessed home is valued at $101,361, this means the average assessed home will see a tax decrease of about $193.26.
   Fieldsboro would see a tax increase of 12.6 cents per $100 of assessed value from $3.008 to 3.134. For the average homeowner with a house assessed at $86,628, this spells an increase of about $109.25.
   Polls are located at the Bordentown Township Senior Center, which is located off Municipal Drive. The polls will be open from 3 to 9 p.m.
   
• In Chesterfield, Two candidates, Todd P. Campanella and Brian C. Meincke, are running unopposed for two three-year seats that will be vacated by current board members Susan Layton and Beth Lawrence-Gill, who are not seeking re-election.
   The school district’s proposed $5.39 million 2007-08 budget would carry a tax rate of 73.4 cents per $100 of assessed value if voters approve it next month. The proposed budget, which carries a tax levy of $4.85 million, is up overall from last year’s by about $990,000.
   Because the township recently underwent a revaluation, the effect the new tax rate would have on taxpayers will vary. The owner of a house assessed at the township average, $462,568, would pay $3,395. Last year’s tax rate was $1.407 per $100 of assessed property value, and the owner of a house assessed at then-average $231,700 paid $3,260 in taxes.
   Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and residents from both districts will vote at the Chesterfield Hose Fire Company.
   
• In Florence, incumbent Robert Reillo Sr. and challengers Sue Cunningham, Mark Dimon, Robert J. Dulo, Gary Olaff and David Woolfton are vying for three three-year terms.
   The school district is asking voters to approve a budget that will include no tax increase. If approved, the $24.5 million budget will carry the same tax rate as last year, $2.44 per $100 of assessed property value. The owner of a house assessed at the township average, $117,248, would continue to pay $2,860 in school taxes.
   Residents who live in Ward 2, District 1; and Ward 3, Districts 1, 2 and 3 can cast their votes at the Duffy School. Voters from Ward 1, Districts 1, 2, and 3; and Ward 2, Districts 2 and 3 can do so at the Roebling School. Polls are open from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.
   
• In Mansfield, three three-year seats and one unexpired two-year seat are open in the district this year. Incumbents Ralph Wainwright, Joseph W. Golowski and George Szatkowski will face challengers Constance Panton and Daniel P. Kane.
   The district’s proposed 2007-08 $9.1 million budget includes a decrease in spending and staff layoffs.
   The proposed budget would decrease by $417,662 from last year’s if approved. The amount to be raised by taxation would be $7.76 million — a $10,019 decrease from last year.
   Voters also will be asked to answer two separate ballot questions. The first asks to retain funding for a science teacher at a cost of about $60,000, and the second asks to retain an art teacher at the elementary school at a cost of about $50,000. The costs estimates in both questions would cover benefits and salaries for the two teachers.
   If both the budget and the separate spending proposals are approved, the tax rate increase would be .001 cent per $100 of assessed property value, meaning that the owner of a house assessed at the township average of $331,675 would see a $3.32 increase on the school tax portion of his or her property tax bill.
   The township recently had a revaluation, and school officials estimated the tax rate to be around 59.9 cents per $100. Last year’s tax rate was around $1.20. With that number, the owner of an average assessed house would pay about $1,986.28.
   If the budget passes, but the two separate spending questions do not, taxpayers would actually see about a $23 decrease on the school tax portion of their tax bills.
   The proposed budget includes reductions in staff, including eliminating four regular teachers, one science teacher, a half-time art teacher position, two special education teachers and one full-time instructional aide, one part-time custodian and two secretaries. Two full-time instructional aides and the learning disabilities teacher consultant position will be reduced from full to part-time status.
   Polls will be open from 2 to 9 p.m. Residents from Districts 2 and 3 will vote at the Municipal Building; Districts 4 and 5 will vote at the Homestead Clubhouse; Districts 1, 7 and 8 will vote at Northern Burlington County Regional High School; and District 6 will vote at the Four Seasons Clubhouse.
   
• In New Hanover, incumbents Christopher Sirak, Richard Slater and Cathleen Kaltschmid and newcomer Rose Marie Winrow are running for four three-year seats that are open this year. Mary Anne Grove will not seek re-election this year.
   The total school budget for the 2007-08 school year is $5,389,879, with $1,420,116 to be raised through taxation, which will be shared by the borough of Wrightstown and New Hanover.
   The tax rate for each community is determined by a state equalization formula based on the amount of taxable property in each municipality.
   For New Hanover residents, this equates to a tax rate of $1.722 per $100 of assessed property value. With the average house assessed at $200,000, this spells a school tax bill of $344.40, up from the $313 bill of last year.
   For Wrightstown, at a tax rate of $1.4920, per $100 of assessed house value (and with the average house assessed at $100,000) the school tax bill comes to $149.20, about a $13 increase from last year’s $135.77 school bill.
   Polls are open from 5 to 9 p.m. at the New Hanover Township and Wrightstown municipal buildings.
   
• In the Northern Burlington County Regional School District election, two three-year seats are open for North Hanover, where three people have filed for them.
   Incumbents Anthony Dorsey and Michael Crawford, and newcomer Thomas Ferriolo are running.
   There is also one Springfield seat open, and incumbent Linda Pastore is running unopposed.
   Both Chesterfield and Mansfield could see a school tax bill decrease, while North Hanover and Springfield may see an increase, under the proposed budget.
   The total proposed budget increase for Northern Burlington Regional School District is just around 2.3 percent, with an overall budget of $32,369,064, of which $15,054,234 will be raised in taxes, said Superintendent James Sarruda.
   In Chesterfield, where the tax rate for the 2007-08 school year under the proposed budget would be 36.5 cents per $100 of assessed house value, the school tax would decrease by about $478.21. The average house was assessed at $462,568, spelling out a school tax bill of $1,688. The tax rate is down 61 cents from last year’s rate due to a township reassessment.
   In Mansfield, the proposed tax rate is 57.1 cents, and the average assessed home is valued at $331,676, spelling out a school tax bill of about $1,893.87. Dr. Sarruda indicated that this is a decrease of about $63.19 from last year’s average, when the tax rate was 62.5 cents greater and the average assessed house value was about half of this year’s figure.
   In North Hanover, the average homeowner will see a slight increase in their school tax bill, with a 4-cent increase from last year’s rate of 93.9 cents per $100 of assessed house value. With the average home assessed at $174,000, this means a bill of $1,633.86, up approximately $6.31 from last year’s school tax bill.
   In Springfield, the average house is assessed at $319,000, and the tax rate is 70.1 cents per $100 of assessed house value. This would mean a school tax bill of $2,236, a 3.4-cent tax rate increase from last year.
   The polls will be located at the Municipal Building of Chesterfield, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
   In Mansfield, polls will be open from 2 to 9 p.m. at the Municipal Building.
   There also will be additional polling places, according to districts:
   Districts 1, 7 and 8 are going to be located at the High School, districts 2 and 3 will be at the Municipal Building, and districts 4 and 5 are at the Homestead Community clubhouse. District 6 voters will head to the Four Seasons Community clubhouse.
   Voting in Springfield will take place at the Municipal Building from 2 to 9 p.m.
   
• In North Hanover, a pair of incumbents, William Sullivan and Janet Bruder, will run unopposed for two three-year seats on the board this year.
   The district’s proposed $19.6 million budget for 2007-08 is an overall increase over last year’s $158,465. The amount to be raised through taxation this year is proposed to be $1,819,753.
   The budget carries a tax rate of 78.3 cents per $100 of assessed value. While Superintendent Richard Carson said school officials didn’t have last year’s exact tax rate available last week, he estimated that this would spell about a $70 increase over last year’s school tax bill for the owner of a home assessed at $174,000, the township average.
   Dr. Carson said that no programs were affected by this year’s budget, and that the district is able to maintain class sizes at 17 to 18 students per class.
   Voters can head to the township Municipal Building on Schoolhouse Road from 2 to 9 p.m.
   
• In Springfield, three three-year seats are open this year. Incumbent John Megariotis, former board member (but not incumbent) Dave Asselin, and one newcomer, Will Klentzeris, are running unopposed.
   Due to a slightly higher tax levy and a property reassessment that lowered average home values, the residents of Springfield Township may see a slight increase in the 2007-2008 school tax bill.
   The increase would raise the tax rate 2.3 cents, to 67.8 cents per $100 of assessed house value.
   Since the average assessed house is now valued at $319,000, this would mean a school tax bill of $2,162. The increased tax rate is due partly to a reassessment that lowered the average assessed value of most homes. The average assessed home last year was $323,000, and the tax rate was 65.5 cents per $100 of assessed house value. This put the school tax bill at $2,115.65.
   Polls will be located at the Springfield Municipal Building and are open from 2 to 9 p.m.