Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Bond topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Presenter says Neptune City referendum seeks $8.4M to update Woodrow Wilson Elementary with no tax increase
Summary
An informational video says a special March 10 bond referendum would fund about $8.4 million in repairs and upgrades to Woodrow Wilson Elementary, that the state could pay up to 34% of eligible costs (about $2.8 million), and that the average homeowner’s tax bill would fall by roughly $34, the Presenter says.
Presenter said Neptune City voters will see a bond referendum on the March 10 special election ballot that would fund about $8,400,000 in improvements to Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, and argued the projects can proceed without raising local real-estate taxes.
The video, presented as part of a district information series, laid out eight planned capital projects. "It starts with new roofs on the school," the Presenter said, noting existing roof warranties are expiring and that replacement would install new 20-year warranties and reduce the district's exposure to unexpected costs. The package also budgets for replacing three rooftop HVAC units, exhaust fans, electrical panels, two boilers and circulating pumps; the Presenter said those systems date from 2008 and are at the end of their useful lives.
The Presenter described renovations to restrooms and corridors as part of the referendum. "The final group of projects in the referendum are to renovate and update the school's bathrooms, which were built in 1929, 1952, and 1970, as well as replacing corridor flooring and painting the main corridor walls," the Presenter said, adding the improvements will make the building "safer and welcoming for another generation."
On costs and funding, the Presenter said the projects total about $8.4 million and that, if voters approve the referendum on March 10, "the state will fund up to 34% of all eligible costs, or about $2,800,000." The video states that the state share "is money that would not come out of our local real estate taxes" and that the state funds must be used only for the listed projects.
The Presenter also said some existing district debt is retiring next year and that replacing a portion of that debt with the new projects would allow the district to proceed "with no tax increase." The video included an estimate that the average Neptune City home, assessed at about $510,000, would see its annual real-estate taxes fall by about $34 if the referendum passes.
Voter logistics were provided: the special election is March 10; residents must register by Feb. 17 to vote; and options include in-person voting on election day or requesting a mail-in ballot to return by mail or at a drop box. The Presenter directed viewers to the Neptune City Referendum webpage for details on finances and project descriptions.
The referendum's next step is the March 10 special election; the video encourages registered Neptune City voters to review the linked referendum page for the full financial breakdown and eligibility rules for state funding.
