What's Happening in Hamilton, NJ…

The Hamilton Township schoolboard has passed a motion for a special election on whether to upgrade its facilities.

Each of the 24 buildings in the school district is in need of repair, with the estimated costs ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars, to $10m per building.

The district hopes to use $55.4m in bonds to cover the costs of repairs at each building, but it needs approval from local voters before it can issue the bond.

The election will take place on September 26 from 2:00 until 8:00 pm. During the election, voters will decide if the district can obtain the bond to improve facilities. If the referendum passes, the amount of tax each resident pays would increase. For example, a resident who owns a house assessed at $214,300 would pay $52.30 more each year in school tax.

The schoolboard passed the motion to hold a special election with a vote of 7 to 1. Anthony Celentano was the only member of the board to vote against the election. One school board member, Susan Lombardo, was not at the meeting and did not vote at all.

School districts who need to raise money can use newsletter printing to educate voters about the issue and to help them understand how a particular vote will affect them. Voting ‘yes’ on the referendum raises taxes, while putting off the repairs until later, can mean that they will cost more in the long run.