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anon-4048
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 Posted: Wed, Sep 22 2021, 7:25 am EDT Post subject: Taxes |
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I was just told the school plans to do a referendum for a performing arts center and other enhancements asking for 18 million in spending. I saw on their website the following.
https://4.files.edl.io/152a/09/19/21/154010-9b9ca911-23fa-4a3f-9e77-ac11ddfd47e7.pdf
The TC is looking to do bike paths and other nice to have initiatives.
How much can our seniors, fixed income residents and others take in spending? Many in our town are living paycheck to paycheck to be here. |
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Ridiculous-79q2
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| Posted: Wed, Sep 22 2021, 9:26 am EDT Post subject: Re: Taxes |
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| I hope this gets voted down! No need for this much spending at one time. Spread it out over a few years and keep our taxes in check! |
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anon-opr0
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| Posted: Wed, Sep 22 2021, 11:14 am EDT Post subject: Re: Taxes |
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| anon-4048 wrote: | I was just told the school plans to do a referendum for a performing arts center and other enhancements asking for 18 million in spending. I saw on their website the following.
https://4.files.edl.io/152a/09/19/21/154010-9b9ca911-23fa-4a3f-9e77-ac11ddfd47e7.pdf
The TC is looking to do bike paths and other nice to have initiatives.
How much can our seniors, fixed income residents and others take in spending? Many in our town are living paycheck to paycheck to be here. |
Not passing any judgment on the proposal which I haven't reviewed, so no idea if I would support it.
But the idea that we should reject new things that aren't must haves because of seniors fixed income would always hold a community hostage to never making improvements and that's not a sustainable philosophy.
Cranbury is the richest town in the county, but has one of the best property tax rates in the county. We have had years of low property tax increases.
Today's seniors were often yesterday's parents with school-aged kids, at a time when we greatly expanded the school, build the fancy "new gym," developed parks, built a Babe Ruth softball field, etc. Why was it ever okay to make improvements under your logic as there always would have been seniors who didn't benefit from them and for which the tax increase would have been a burden? Or do the rules change when those who did have kids in town become seniors?
We made a decision many years ago not to consider Monroe as a place to move because of the high concentration of senior housing and concern this would be an impediment to the supporting the schools. We gravitated to Cranbury because of the schools. We don't have any kids at Cranbury School any more but that's not a reason to stop supporting it for the kids and parents who still benefit from it. |
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anon-opr0
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| Posted: Wed, Sep 22 2021, 11:25 am EDT Post subject: Re: Taxes |
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| Ridiculous-79q2 wrote: | | I hope this gets voted down! No need for this much spending at one time. Spread it out over a few years and keep our taxes in check! |
It's a bond so it would paid over decades, and 1/3 subsidized by the State. Which is a good because we send far more money to the State than we get back, so better that it go to Cranbury that elsewhere.
According to the slides in the link above it would replace the previous bond debt that is done being paid off next year, for all the previous projects done mostly decades ago.
I just did the math on my taxes and it would raise them about 1.6%. |
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anon-7666
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| Posted: Wed, Sep 22 2021, 12:18 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Taxes |
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| if you pay 12k a year that is an extra 200 a year. If you pay more it is worse. It may not be a lot to you an extra 200 a year, but it is for a lot of people in town who have fixed incomes. That is also a fixed 200 a year. Any tax increases from operations sit on top of that and any costs for the bike paths and other items sit on top of that making the situation worse for those who can’t afford it. |
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Cranbury Resident-s288
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| Posted: Wed, Sep 22 2021, 2:24 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Taxes |
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| anon-4048 wrote: | I was just told the school plans to do a referendum for a performing arts center and other enhancements asking for 18 million in spending. I saw on their website the following.
https://4.files.edl.io/152a/09/19/21/154010-9b9ca911-23fa-4a3f-9e77-ac11ddfd47e7.pdf
The TC is looking to do bike paths and other nice to have initiatives.
How much can our seniors, fixed income residents and others take in spending? Many in our town are living paycheck to paycheck to be here. |
Your post is misleading, perhaps intended to grab a headline about lavish spending while comparing to bike path initiatives, these are 2 very different things. There are several proposed projects that include security, cafeteria and science rooms. in my opinion these are important investments. I have heard the current cafeteria is the same one kids had back in the 80s, it is clearly time for an upgrade. We moved to this town for the school, it is important to our family that we live in a community that values education. Whether or not you have kids in the school, the reality is NJ property values are based on having a good school system. Rather than make assumptions about the referendum or spending perhaps its best to attend one of the information events. From my perspective, having additional details from the source in order to make an informed decision is better than speculating on what you were “just told” around town. |
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anon-4048
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| Posted: Wed, Sep 22 2021, 3:16 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Taxes |
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What about the performing arts center and improvements associated with that? I could see the cafeteria and some of the other improvements. But it is fair to compare bike paths and performing arts center.
We’re a Blue Ribbon school today because of our staff and teachers. That doesn’t change if we don’t have a multimillion dollar arts center. And part of their argument is it is a room for the community. It was the same argument for the large group room which isn’t able to be used and the same argument for the library. |
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Tax cut-055r
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| Posted: Wed, Sep 22 2021, 7:43 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Taxes |
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| Maybe it wouldn't seem so bad if the current Township Committee had lowered taxes instead of keeping them flat! |
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Tax the rich!-055r
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| Posted: Wed, Sep 22 2021, 7:44 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Taxes |
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| Or maybe the top 1% of the Cranbury tax bracket could cover the cost! |
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Sales Tax-79q2
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| Posted: Tue, Sep 28 2021, 7:46 am EDT Post subject: Re: Taxes |
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| If only there was a new local sales tax that we could apply to help offset these projects! |
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anon-7666
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| Posted: Tue, Sep 28 2021, 10:55 am EDT Post subject: Re: Taxes |
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| Sales Tax-79q2 wrote: | | If only there was a new local sales tax that we could apply to help offset these projects! |
That tax would not go toward school projects. |
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anon-00q5
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| Posted: Tue, Sep 28 2021, 10:35 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Taxes |
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| anon-4048 wrote: | What about the performing arts center and improvements associated with that? I could see the cafeteria and some of the other improvements. But it is fair to compare bike paths and performing arts center.
We’re a Blue Ribbon school today because of our staff and teachers. That doesn’t change if we don’t have a multimillion dollar arts center. And part of their argument is it is a room for the community. It was the same argument for the large group room which isn’t able to be used and the same argument for the library. |
Have there been significant advancements in cafeterias over the years? The "it's the same cafeteria as the '80s" seems like a poor justification for spending money unless there is some real benefit.
A PAC, on the other hand, might make sense for a town that emphasizes performing arts. Many middle schools have a decent theater set up for assemblies and performances. However, the sensible solution would be to simply upgrade the temporary spectator seating options in the old gym. For example...
https://www.sseteam.com/spectator-seating/ |
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Extra Tax-79q2
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| Posted: Wed, Sep 29 2021, 9:06 am EDT Post subject: Re: Taxes |
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| anon-7666 wrote: | | Sales Tax-79q2 wrote: | | If only there was a new local sales tax that we could apply to help offset these projects! |
That tax would not go toward school projects. |
You're right, but it could go to Municipal projects that would keep our other taxes in check and offset the cost of funding the school. |
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anon-rpq0
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| Posted: Wed, Sep 29 2021, 9:49 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Taxes |
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| Why not offset the instead tax burden on the lower fixed income population (surely a small percentage) with a tax rebate? Use a federal guideline and come up with an equation. I can afford another $200 a year. Improvements will keep the real estate prices higher and with it our equity up. |
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anon-7666
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| Posted: Wed, Sep 29 2021, 10:26 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Taxes |
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| Towns cannot legally do property tax rebates. |
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Question-pn45
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| Posted: Wed, Oct 6 2021, 5:38 am EDT Post subject: Re: Taxes |
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| Will our property taxes decrease if the referendum is voted down? |
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