The second of the Scotch Plains budget meetings will be held on Tuesday.
On March 12 the Scotch Plains township council will conduct budget workshoups with various department heads. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the second floor meeting room of the Scotch Plains Municipal Building. This is the second budget workshop of the township. Following this workshop, the third meeting will be at 6 p.m. on March 14.
Many property owners voiced their concerns with the Special Improvement District assessment fee at the March 5 council conference meeting.
Several property owners voiced their dissatisfaction with the Special Improvement District fee implemented by the Scotch Plains Management Corporation in an almost fully packed council chambers at the March 5 Scotch Plains Conference meeting. The fee was instituted in 2009 in order to improve downtown Scotch Plains, but some property owners felt they have not seen anything done with the $400 annual fee they have been paying. According to Mayor Kevin Glover if the SPMC collected the SID assessment this year, it would be the fifth time around. However, for 2013 the Scotch Plains Management Corporation proposed an $87,000 budget that would not include the annual feel and only consist of the current money in their budget. Owner of John’s …
10:23 pm on Thursday, March 14, 2013
Easy - you're looking at 3 blocks between Hung's and CVS. Did you know business owners on Route 22, who get no benefit of planters, flags, brick sidewalks and downtown concerts also have to pay? What about all the businesses on East 2nd St. that lots of people seem to forget about? As for comments about inheriting Grandpappy's building and "just collecting rent," look at the tax bills on some of … more ›
Although the Board of Education is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars less in the proposed 2013-14 budget, federal sequestration could cause a rise in costs for taxpayers.
The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Board of Education has presented a preliminary budget at the past two board meetings, which included anticipated revenue and expenditures that could mean a 1.7 percent increase for Scotch Plains residents and a 2.11 percent increase for Fanwood residents, however this is reliant on whether or not state funding is cut due to sequestration. School Board President Trip Whitehouse made it clear that although percentages could go up on average, the board is spending less money overall, it is just a matter of state funding, which the board will get the final numbers of on Feb. 28. Business Administrator Deborah Saridaki said it was recommended that due to the potential federal sequestration that the board only budget …
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11:40 pm on Friday, March 1, 2013
when I look in my wallet and find less money there than expected I spend less. What is the lesson here BOA? more ›
There will be two public budget presentations at Terrill and Park Middle and then a public hearing at the BOE Administrative offices.
The following information was provided by the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Board of Education. Scotch Plains-Fanwood Proposed Budget
At the Jan. 24 Board of Education meeting a tentative budget of the special education department was presented.
The tentative Special Education Budget for the Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District was presented at the Jan. 24 Board of Education meeting by Business Manager Deborah Saridaki and Special Education Director Thomas Beese. Saridaki took the lead on the tentative special education budget presentation, the first of three budget presentations that will be presented to the public at a board meeting. The Special Education budget makes up around 20 percent of the entire Board of Education’s budget, Saridaki said and this year the tentative amount allotted is $18,214,874. For the 2012-2013 school year the budget for special education was $17,876,206. Beese noted that the increase is due to an increase in costs from the service delivery program…
Llewellyn Jones speaks out against Councilman Glover's proposition to move $100k from the sewer utility to offset the general budget.
Letter to the Editor: While I am fully on board with efforts to keep property taxes low, needlessly sacrificing the principle of fairness is not something I can support. In that regard, the town council's 3-2 vote to approve Councilman Kevin Glover's amendment to move $100k from the sewer utility to offset the general budget is the wrong decision. First and foremost, it is unfair to the approximately 54 entities that are Federal and/or State tax exempt (such as churches, schools, etc). I am a member of the JCC and YMCA and I know they pay hefty sewer bills. However, with this decision, part of their sewer bill payment is no longer available to hold down future sewer bills, and is simply lost to them. Second, consider two hypothetical …
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11:06 am on Saturday, April 21, 2012
Agreed as well but lets not forget when it was discovered the town had over charged residents and had "our" money in their pockets Mr Vastine led the charge to have the town keep the monies that didn't belong to them. more ›
Missed Tuesday's meeting? Catch our Council Meeting Recap here.
Updates on the municipal budget, Memorial Day Parade, and a proposed resolution regarding a county wide NJDEP lawsuit were among the highlights of Tuesday’s Scotch Plains Town Council meeting. Missed the meeting? Read on to learn more.
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3:41 pm on Wednesday, April 4, 2012
At the Fanwood Borough Council Agenda Meeting of April 3 it was noted that there was to have been a discussion by the SP Council regarding a police merger and the form it should take. I do not see such a discussion in this article. Did one take place and, if so, did it take place in Executive Session? more ›
Members of the BOE will be traveling to each of the district's schools to present the 2012-2013 School Budget that was finalized at the March 22 meeting
On March 22, the Board of Education approved the 2012-2013 school budget. To read the full story detailing the BOE's budget and plans for the upcoming school year, click here. Because the budget does not exceed the 2 percent cap, there will be no vote on the budget. However, those who were unable to attend the March 22 meeting will have the opportunity to hear the budget presentation and express concerns at a local public hearing held by the Board of Education. "Join us at one of the following events in March and April to learn learn more about the 2012-2013 school budget," PTA Vice President Lisa Dunlap said. "It's the best way to stay informed and understand how our budget is supporting education in our towns." Here are the dates and …
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Long awaited repairs, rising enrollment touted as reasons for $1.2M added to 2012-13 plan.
The Board of Education unanimously approved the $85.6 million 2012-2013 School Budget, which jumped $1.2 million. The higher taxes are, in part, a result of long awaited roof and HVAC repairs as well as rising enrollment necessitating additional staff. The new budget, approved Thursday night, earned the support of the County Superintendent and Department of Education, comes in below the required 2 percent cap. To bring the tax levy down to 1.66 percent, the Board will be returning $251,411 that came in the form of additional aid to the tax payers. At $2.75 million, the district does see a small increase in state aid. However, BOE President Trip Whitehouse noted that the Board is dealing with a about half the amount of state aid that had …
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3:26 pm on Sunday, April 1, 2012
Do I understand this correctly?? The board is holding public meetings AFTER the budget is approved? Would I be wrong to assume this is quite like letting the horse out of the barn then closing the barn door? If that's the case aren't these meetings just a sham and a show? Why do you have public meetings if you've already made your decision??? Anyone??? more ›
The average Fanwood household will see an increase of $7.67 in municipal taxes.
Fanwood CFO Fred Tomkins formally introduced the 2012-2013 municipal budget to the Fanwood Borough Council on Tuesday night. The new budget comes in well below the two percent cap. The proposed increase, which was unanimously approved at Tuesday’s meeting, is roughly one-third of 1 percent. The average Fanwood resident will see an increase of $7.67 in municipal taxes. After county and school taxes are added in, the projected increase is $55 per household, although that number could change slightly depending on the Union County budget presentation. The Board of Education will present the 2012-2013 meeting on Thursday. “A $7 increase doesn’t happen by accident,” Council President, Russell Huegel said. “When times were tough, we foresaw that …
Rich Fortunato
4:10 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
The March 12th meeting has been cancelled, according to an email notice received from the Town this afternoon. more ›