By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
Three resolutions offering ways to deal with ongoing revaluation issues in Princeton Borough were introduced by Councilman Roger Martindell at Tuesday night’s meeting.
The resolutions will be put on the agenda for public discussion at the Sept. 28 council meeting. “I think a discussion would express a sense of urgency that I think the community would appreciate,” said Mr. Martindell. A brief summary about the proposed resolutions was given at the end of the council meeting with discussion to take place later in the month.
”After our meeting on Aug. 24, there were some meaningful comments about things we might do and what you have in front of you tonight is a written memorialization of ideas as a result of the discussion about revaluation,” said Mr. Martindell. “None of these initiatives are a silver bullet, but they do address some of the concerns expressed on Aug. 24. I think most importantly, if we were to adopt them they would put us in the position of taking some initiative of addressing these issues.”
In a memo to the council and the public, Mr. Martindell states: “As you review the attached resolutions, keep in mind that (Borough Council) have asked the Borough Attorney to review our options in dealing with revaluation, including, for example: (a) can we ‘reject’ the revaluation, and is there a reasonable legal basis on which to challenge the methodology used in the revaluation; and (b) can we mitigate the effects of the revaluation, such as by phasing-in revaluation, conducting revaluations more frequently than we have in the past, or developing a program to assist qualified taxpayers to rely on the borough’s affordable housing trust fund to keep their taxes paid current?”
His three resolutions call for the immediate re-opening negotiations with Princeton University of the payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) currently set to expire in December 2011; immediate discussions to consider more shared services not presently under study by the Joint Services and Consolidation Study Commission, and to appoint a Revaluation Study Commission immediately.
Princeton University currently contributes $1.1 million to the borough’s general operating fund under the PILOT agreement. Citing the “hardship caused by the 2010 revaluation to borough taxpayers is urgent and threatens the sustainability of entire neighborhoods,” Mr. Martindell requests the borough “immediately re-open negotiations with Princeton University concerning its PILOT with the goal that the university contribute to the borough’s annual operating budget in 2011 and subsequent tax years what the university would contribute were all of its lands in the borough taxable.”
Noting it could takes “weeks, if not months,” to reach an agreement with the university,” it is not too early to reopen negotiations. “This is the climate in which to do it, I think, because it does focus attention that half of our property (in the borough) is tax exempt because of Princeton University’s presence in the community,” he said. “I think we should take the initiative and draw the connection and open negotiations.”
Consideration of shared services beyond the police and public works that the Joint Services and Consolidation Study Commission are looking at are Mr. Martindell’s second resolution. This group would be an independent body and look at sharing services with other neighboring communities and Mercer County.
”There exists a reasonable likelihood that more shared services, including, but not limited to, fire inspection, tax assessor, municipal court, health and zoning enforcement services, could make the delivery of services in the borough more effective and more efficient and thereby reduce the real property tax burden on borough taxpayers,” Mr. Martindell writes in his proposal.
His third resolution calls for the immediate creation of a seven-member Revaluation Study Commission to be convened by the mayor “to consider the borough’s options in dealing with the effect of revaluation on the community, including, but not limited to: the municipality’s options in accepting, rejecting, or modifying the 2010 revaluation and the municipality’s options in up-dating the revaluation in the years following 2010.”
Saying “we’ve been put in a position as the governing body to defend something that we’re not in a position to defend,” he thinks that borough residents not employed by the borough can make an independent judgment about the accuracy and fairness of the revaluation, and give ideas about mitigating the consequences of the revaluation.
All members of the commission must be borough residents at the time of their appointment and begin to meet on Oct. 1 and issue a report no later then Jan. 31, 2011.
These resolutions should be on the agenda for discussion on Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

