CENTRAL JERSEY: Three of four budgets approved; Millstone plan rejected

By Sean Ruppert, The Packet Group
   Despite troubling economic times, area voters approved three out of four school budgets in the Messenger-Press coverage area, according to unofficial figures Tuesday night.
   Robbinsville, Upper Freehold Regional and Plumsted voters approved their districts’ spending plans, albeit by small margins in some cases.
   Millstone voters, however, apparently did not, and it will now be up to the town’s governing body to set the district’s budget.
   In Robbinsville, voters OK’d the district’s $38.6 million budget by a tally of 993 to 673, according to unofficial numbers supplied by Township Clerk Michele Auletta, which did not include absentee ballots.
   The plan calls for a tax increase of a little less than 5 cents per $100 of assessed value compared to the previous school year. Under the approved budget, a home assessed at the township average of $375,000 would pay $4,687 in school taxes, about $187 more than last year.
   On the Board of Education front, Faith Silvestrov, Melissa Foy and Florence Gang ran uncontested for three open seats. Ms. Silvestrov has served on the board 18 years. Ms. Foy is an elementary school principal in another district, and Ms. Gang is a teacher at Rutgers Preparatory School in Somerset. She had previously served on the board for eight years, but has been off the board for five years.
   In the Upper Freehold Regional School District, voters approved the district’s $36.8 million budget by an unofficial razor-thin count of 562 to 526, according to numbers supplied by the district. Allentown voters OK’d the financial plan by a 133-102 margin, while the Upper Freehold approval was delivered by five votes, 429 to 424.
   Under the approved budget, Allentown residents will see their tax rate reduced by about 7 cents to $2.33 per $100 of assessed value. The owner of a home assessed at the township average of $153,300 will pay $3,571 in school taxes, about $100 less than last year.
   In Upper Freehold the tax rate will go up by about 4 cents, to a rate of $1.11 per $100 of assessed value. Under this rate, the owner of a home assessed at the township average of $526,400 will pay $5,843 in school taxes, about $210 more than in the previous year.
   For the district’s school board, Edward Werner and incumbents Lisa Herzer and Howard Krieger were elected to the three open seats. Mr. Werner ran unopposed for a seat vacated by William Borkowski, earning 138 votes. Ms. Herzer received 507 votes and Mr. Krieger received 439 votes. Steven Gagliardi fell short with 374 votes.
   In Plumsted, voters approved the $25.7 million budget by a vote of 729 to 685, according to numbers supplied by the Ocean County Board of Elections. The financial plan calls for a tax rate increase of about 2 cents, and will result in a $3,759 school tax bill for the owner of a home assessed at the township average of $383,500, about $78 more than the previous year.
   For the school board, Jon Hauge, Keith Buckalew and Christopher Probasco were elected, ousting board President Joanna Barlow, and her ticket of Richard Roach and Robin Witkowski.
   Mr. Hauge, a 15-year resident, received 921 votes. Mr. Buckalew, who previously served on the board from 1994 to 2002, garnered 966 votes. Mr. Probasco, a 21-year New Egypt resident, received 887 votes.
   Ms. Barlow got 457 votes, Ms. Witkowski received 448 votes and Mr. Roach 451 votes.
   In Millstone, voters rejected their district’s $36.4 million budget by a count of 691 to 413, according to numbers supplied by the township clerk’s office. The budget carries an 11-cent tax increase, raising the bill for a homeowner assessed at the township average of $408,600 by about $455, to $8,587.
   For the school board, incumbent President Thomas Foley won re-election with 545 votes, while first-time candidates Amy Jacobson and Patrick Whalen were elected to three-year terms with 622 and 634 votes, respectively. Savatore Casale was elected to a two-year unexpired term, with 668 votes.
   John Pearson was the candidate to fall short, garnering 472 votes.
Sean Ruppert can be reached at [email protected].