NORTHERN BURLINGTON: Proposed budget a mixed bag for four sending districts

By Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writer
Residents in the Northern Burlington County Regional School District will be asked to approve a proposed tax increase of just under 3.5 percent this year.
    On March 30, the Board of Education will hold a public hearing on the nearly $34 million budget, up less than 1 percent from last year’s budget, according to Superintendent James Sarruda. The amount to be raised by taxation is tentatively set at just below $16 million.
    Each of the four sending districts to the regional district has a different tax rate based on its ratable share.
    If the budget is approved at the April 21 school elections, North Hanover residents would see a 12-cent tax rate increase, up to about $1.06 per $100 of assessed home value. For the owner of a residence valued at the township average of $177,000, that would mean a bill of $1,876.20.
    Taxes in Chesterfield would also go up, with a 1.5-cent increase to create a tax rate of 41.5 cents. The tax bill would be almost $1,876 for the owner of a house valued at the municipal average of $452,036.
    The proposed budget keeps the Mansfield tax rate at 57.8 cents, leading to a bill of about $1,938 for the owner of an average house, worth $335,225.
    Springfield would see a 3.4-cent decrease in the tax rate this year, bringing it down to 61.8 cents. The owner of an average house valued at $320,809 would pay about $1,983 if the budget is approved.
    The proposed budget cuts five full-time positions and lowers administrative spending by about 8 percent. The positions are currently occupied by teachers and support staff that are set to retire, and Dr. Sarruda said the district would eliminate the soon-to-be empty positions once those workers have left.
    He said the district will put more resources toward science and math and updating curriculums.
    “It’s a very conservative budget,” he said, noting the board could make changes before the public hearing.
    Voters will be asked to consider another ballot question that, if approved, would allow the district to proceed with a number of upgrades.
    “The regional school board is asking for the community to give them permission to generate over $4 million in grants and special revenue in incentives so we can, in essence, go green, repair some roofs, and do this with solar panels,” Dr. Sarruda said.
    While the tax impact would be about $3.30 per $100 of assessed home value, he said the panels, which would be installed in the high school, would more than pay for themselves.
    “It’s a very attractive program, and what made it attractive are the rebates we’ve received and the grants we’ve been approved for,” Dr. Sarruda continued. “Everything is in place, and we just need to get permission from the voters to move forward with the project.”
    Should voters approve the question, Dr. Sarruda said work would begin immediately, and the district would need to complete the work this summer.
    “As I speak with people I get very positive feedback,” he said, “but it’s going to be critical that the community gets involved on April 21.”