Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sid Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Morristown council adopts Partnership SID 2024 budget after contested public hearing
Summary
After extended public comment and debate about notice and business impacts, the Town Council adopted Resolution R-109-2024 to approve the Partnership Special Improvement District (SID) 2024 budget, despite council concerns about a large one-year increase and a tax-appeal reserve.
The Morristown Town Council adopted Resolution R-109-2024 on June 25, approving the Partnership Special Improvement District (SID) 2024 budget after a contested public hearing and extended council debate.
Stephen Remington, a resident who addressed the council during the SID hearing, criticized the budget's approach and figures, saying the district had "got $800,000" and questioning whether a proposed $200,000 line for tax-appeal funding would recur annually. He urged the council to require the partnership to seek council approval before adding properties to Schedule A and cautioned that post-1995 developments had been excluded in ways that shifted costs to smaller businesses.
Jennifer Wherry, identified in the record as "executive director of the partnership," told the council the partnership had mailed notice to property owners and updated Schedule A in advance of the revaluation, and that the group supports an ordinance amendment to list properties by block. She said the partnership could not itself change Schedule A without council action and requested council assistance.
Council members voiced a mix of support for the partnership's objectives and concern about implementation. Multiple councilors said they were "disappointed" by limited public turnout and by communications that did not clearly describe the scale of the budget increase. Several members recommended additional legal and fiscal review, and at least one suggested approving a smaller immediate increase while asking the partnership to return with a revised plan. The council also discussed establishing a reserve to cover appeals of newly increased tax assessments.
Despite those reservations, the council voted to adopt the SID budget. The resolution as adopted will take effect under the town's established procedures for special assessment budgets; council recorded its decision in the public minutes.
Next steps noted in the meeting included follow-up work to reexamine Schedule A, potential ordinance amendments to reflect property lists and clarifications about which developments are exempt, and ongoing dialogue between council and the partnership about outreach and implementation.
Votes and procedural records for R-109-2024 were entered into the meeting minutes; council discussion emphasized that some members supported the budget "with reservations" and that legal and fiscal follow-up would continue.
