Letter to the editor
To the editor:
Following is an open letter to 14th District Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein:
Thank you for your interest and concern with Hightstown’s lack of revenue due to tax-exempt land owned by the churches and Peddie School. The tax problem in town is far greater than 10 Peddie faculty children attending East Windsor Regional schools free. For I am sure that if Peddie paid, East Windsor would benefit to a greater extent than Hightstown. Why? Please, look at the following numbers and I hope you can justify them better than I can.
First of all, to prevent the district from going over the 10 percent cap, the $53.6 million budget will carry two separate questions totaling an additional $735,000 for the voters to approve. If approved, Hightstown’s rate per $100 of assessed valuation will go from $2.42 to 2.57, or plus 15 cents, almost twice the East Windsor increase of $2.34 to 2.42, or plus 8 cents per $100.
The school tax bill for the owner of a $160,000 home in East Windsor would increase $128 from $3,744 in 2000 to $3,872 in 2001. The school tax bill for the owner of a $160,000 home in Hightstown would increase $240 from $3,872 in 2000 to $4,112 in 2001.
I understand the school budget to be split between municipalities by total assessed property valuations and not by student enrollment. According to the figures released, Hightstown’s property values decreased by $56,636 and East Windsor’s property values increased by $56,112,321. That’s right, MILLION!
School district business manager David Shafter explains, "Because of East Windsor’s huge increase in assessments, the tax increase in East Windsor is much lower." Why isn’t the budget split on ratables? Do commercial properties reduce the East Windsor homeowner’s tax bite? East Windsor keeps building supermarkets and shopping centers and housing developments and Hightstown homeowners keep paying higher school taxes. Stop the music, I want to get off!
I invite Hightstown homeowners to join me by voting down the school budget and the additional questions this year because the East Windsor Regional district has one of the highest per-pupil costs and one of the lowest pupil-to-teacher ratios in Mercer County.
Larry Galcher
Hightstown