Boonton Township school officials present budget, cite county approval and $601,000 roof project; no public comments

Boonton Township Board of Education met for a budget public hearing and regular session at 7:30 p.m.; the meeting opened with a roll call of board members and a note that the meeting notice had been advertised in a Morris County publication.

Presenter reviewed the proposed budget and said, "the county superintendent has approved the budget and no changes." The presenter described the calendar for approval (board review followed by county sign-off on April 20) and summarized key revenue assumptions, saying the district is operating under a 2% tax-levy cap and that state aid accounts for about 5.9% of the budget.

The presenter identified the major budget drivers as salaries and benefits, out-of-district tuition and transportation costs, noting that health-benefit costs are roughly "23 and a half percent" of payroll. He said the district projects about 423 total enrollments and reported 47 students registered for kindergarten so far, with historically more registering over the summer.

On capital needs, the presenter said the district plans a roof-replacement project estimated at about $601,000 and that funds will come from the capital reserve to cover construction and soft costs. "We have the highlighted blue areas for a total of about 601,000 and actual construction cost," he said, and added the transfer from capital reserve is planned to complete the remaining roofs in the district.

The presenter estimated the budget's impact on the local taxpayer at "about a $179," and said the district has used cap-banking and other cost-containment measures to limit taxpayer burden. When a board member asked whether the state had mandated benefit increases, the presenter responded that he had "not heard anything" from the state and that premium changes are driven by insurers and insurance boards.

The chair called for motions on several routine agenda items. A motion to adopt board business items 1 and 2 was made and carried. Finance motions 1 and 2 and personnel motion number 1 were each taken by roll call and carried. During the public-hearing portion the chair confirmed there were no members of the public present to speak.

Board members also used the session for brief operational updates: a facilities-committee meeting was scheduled for 5:00 p.m., architectural plans were submitted electronically and the board awaits a PEC letter related to those plans, and staff were reminded of an awards ceremony in Morris County next week.

The meeting adjourned following a motion to close.

(Reporting note: direct quotes and vote outcomes reflect the board meeting transcript; where the transcript omitted a specific mover or the full motion text those items are described generically as recorded.)