By Nicole M. Wells, Special Writer
BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP — At a public hearing March 21, the budget for the 2013-14 school year was approved by the Board of Education by a 5-3 vote.
Board members Mark Drew, Timothy Hartmann and Ellen Wehrman voted against the $40 million budget, according to board Vice President Kimberly Zablow.
”I think people understand that, as much as the taxes are going to hurt, it’s a reality,” Ms. Zablow said. “It’s a tough situation to be in.”
She cited rising health-care costs in particular as a reason for the budget’s size.
”You want to maintain all the programs for the kids, but it’s hard,” she said.
For the average home in Bordentown Township, assessed at $239,281, the homeowner will pay $4,369.27 in school taxes, which is about $146.46 more than last year.
The average homeowner in Bordentown City with a home assessed at $205,139 will pay $3,440.18 in school taxes, which is about $20.72 more than last year.
In Fieldsboro, the average homeowner with a home assessed at $207,831 will pay $3,210.99 in school taxes, which is about $200.38 more than last year, according to statistics released by the board.
The increase in the tax rate for Bordentown Township is 6 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. For Bordentown City, the tax rate increase is 28 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, and for Fieldsboro, the increase in the tax rate is 10 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
During the public comment period, resident Steve Heberling, 47, of Bordentown Township, said he appreciated how, in past years, the board would meet with the public on a Saturday morning to go over the budget, line item by line item. That did not happen with this year’s budget, he said.
”I just feel like, with a $40 million dollar budget on the table, there should be more involvement; there should be more dissection,” Mr. Heberling said. “There’s a lot of information (on the budget forms) that the average person cannot dissect.”
The 2 percent cap on property taxes that shapes school budget discussions is being misused as a tool to circumvent transparency in the budgeting process, he said.
”I’m all for the schools,” Mr. Heberling said. “But I’d like to know how the money’s being spent.”
