By Linda Seida, Staff Writer
WEST AMWELL — South Hunterdon Regional High School’s Board of Education last week approved a tentative budget that would increase the tax levy by 1.5 percent.
The board emphasized it would lower the increase if possible, perhaps to 1.09 percent.
The proposed budget would lower tax bills in Lambertville, but raise them in West Amwell and Stockton.
The state allows school districts an increase of as much as 2 percent.
”We have the opportunity to go up to 2 percent, but we didn’t,” board member Laurie Weinstein said. “It’s good PR.”
South Hunterdon’s last three budgets were defeated.
The district will hold a public hearing on the budget at 6 p.m. on March 24.
Ms. Weinstein first voted against the 1.5 percent increase when the board took a straw poll. She said the district’s business administrator, who is most familiar with the budget numbers, is comfortable with an increase of the lower 1.09 percent.
A discussion ensued among the board members, who agreed they would rather tentatively approve 1.5 percent and whittle it down later, rather than approve a lower percentage now only to discover they would have to increase it later, possibly leading to a loss of voter confidence.
With six board members present, and another voting by phone, the board agreed unanimously on a tentative budget of $10,096,116.
Board members Donald Vandegrift and Boyd Hartpence were absent. Dan Seiter voted by phone.
Last year, the board proposed a budget of $10,186,499. When voters shot it down, the municipal governing bodies of its three sending districts called for a $228,000 cut, bringing the total down to $9,958,499.
The governing bodies, losing patience with being handed the budget-cutting job for the third consecutive year, also negotiated the crafting of a new five-year plan and a $10,000 special education audit.
The 2011-12 tax levy would be $7,929,856 on a general fund of $8,413,524.
Debt service would be $1,607,592, with a tax levy of $1,242,498. The debt stems from a 2005 voter-approved referendum of approximately $20 million that permitted improvements and new construction at the school, which had seen no major improvements since its 1959 construction. Voters have no say on debt service amounts.
Under the tentative budget, the tax rate in Lambertville would be 61.01 cents per $100 of assessed property value. The owner of a house assessed at the average of $357,856 would pay $2,183.28 in property taxes to support the school. That’s $315.56 less than last year, when the average assessment was $358,000 and the tax rate was 69.80 cents per $100 of assessed value.
In West Amwell, the tax rate would be 66.82 cents per $100 of assessed value. The owner of a house assessed at the average of $456,213 would pay $3,048.42. That’s $273.24 more than last year, when the average assessment was $455,845 and the tax rate was 60.88 cents per $100 of assessed value.
In Stockton, the tax rate would be 60.56 per $100 of assessed value. With a new average assessment for 2011 of $373,504, the average homeowner would pay $2,261.94. Last year, when the average assessment in the borough was $322,466 and the tax rate was 50.58, the average homeowner paid $1,631.03.

