Local News - Mullica Township approves one-cent school tax-rate cut in voter-rejected budget
By LEE PROCIDA Staff Writer | Posted: Tuesday, May 4, 2010 | 15 comments
MULLICA TOWNSHIP — The Township Committee approved Tuesday night cutting the local school district budget by $41,450, reducing a rejected 2.2-cent tax increase by more than 1 cent.
The 4-to-1 vote came after 45 minutes of comments from the public and a 20-minute......Continue Reading
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executive session discussion by the Board of Education, which joined the committee in a special meeting at town hall.
The cut will be made possible by the new law mandating that employees contribute 1.5 percent of their benefits, Superintendent Rich Goldberg said.
Mayor Michael St. Amour called for compromise between the board and committee. He said anger should be focused on the state because its fiscal problems have necessitated the recent aid cuts, but instead it has resulted in tearing communities apart.
He called for reducing the local school district tax increase to 1 cent per $100 of assessed value.
After convening privately to discuss the proposal, the board returned with a 1.125 cent offer, saying the opinion was split among the members.
“You have to understand that we’ve been going through this budget problem for a lot longer than just this past tax season,” said board President Spiros Malaspina.
Committeeman Bernard Graebener dissented from the committee vote to accept that offer, saying that he thought the residents were calling for no tax increase when they rejected the spending plan.
The other members said they realized how hard it was to put together the budget and appreciated the compromise.
“It’s not comfortable for anyone on the board,” Michael St. Amour, “I understand that.”
About 50 people packed the meeting room, leaving only standing room. Many of those people asked questions about the current budget and what could be done to decrease it, as well as positing their own theories about what the vote meant and what should be done now.
Some demanded more concessions from teachers, while others asked what could be done without affecting staff.
Renee Goolden, of Reading Avenue, said she thought the overall problem was a failure to communicate. She said she didn’t think the public had enough information to make an informed decision on a difficult issue.
“Nobody wants their taxes to go up, but nobody wants their children to suffer,” she said.
The committee will formally approve the measure at its next meeting on Tuesday, and the board will then have to vote to approve it at its meeting on May 18.
Contact Lee Procida: 609-457-8707 LProcida@pressofac.com
Posted in ATLANTIC on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 10:59 pm Updated: 11:20 pm.
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