Full Assembly and Senate vote is next on agenda
By: Nick Norlen
A bill that could get the Cottage Club back on Princeton Borough’s tax rolls has been released for a floor vote by committees in both the state Assembly and Senate.
The state Assembly’s Housing and Local Government Committee approved the measure by a vote of 5-1 Thursday, and the state Senate’s Budget and Appropriations Committee voted unanimously to approve the bill for a vote Monday.
If passed on the floor by both houses, the legislation, introduced by Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Princeton), would negate the recent state Supreme Court decision to grant the Princeton University student eating club a tax exemption.
The Prospect Avenue club, which is on both the state and National Register of Historic Places, initially applied for an exemption in 2002, citing its status as a historic site and a nonprofit organization.
Before its exemption, the Cottage Club paid approximately $60,000 in taxes each year 25 percent of which went to the borough.
According to club attorney Thomas Olson, the club is open to the public 12 days a year.
The bill would hold the Cottage Club to a 2004 state statute that requires tax-exempt historic sites to be open to the public for at least 96 days a year.
"This is simply making an even playing field for all properties that have applied for tax exempt status recently," Mr. Gusciora said Thursday. "A lot of (Assembly) members really recognize how unfair it is that an entity such as the Cottage Club would take advantage of the system."
Borough Council passed a resolution expressing support for the proposed legislation at its June 6 meeting.
Borough Mayor Mildred Trotman, Council President Margaret Karcher and Councilman Andrew Koontz attended both committee sessions and issued statements supporting the legislation at Monday’s hearing.
"We’re on track at this point for the governor’s signature on the bill one way or the other toward the end of July," Mr. Koontz said Monday.
However, Mr. Koontz said he still sees a "long road ahead."
Even if the bill passes, litigation will likely continue between the borough and the Cottage Club, he said.
"They’ve clearly invested a lot of time and energy into trying to get out of paying their taxes," he said. "I think this is a step in the right direction, but until I see them saying, ‘We’re going to do the right thing and start paying our taxes,’ my view is that we’ll be continuing this for some time."
Mr. Koontz said Thursday that the matter boils down to "an issue of fairness and enforcing public access to tax exempt facilities."
Mayor Trotman agreed, and said such facilities should be open to the public for at least 96 days not 12.
"Much more important to me is the fact that it has always been used despite its historicity as nothing other than a private eating club," she said. "To suggest that it be taken off the tax roll is kind of a slap in the face, because it’s so private."
The Assembly is expected to hold a full vote on the bill Thursday.

