Issues Impacting Summit's 2019 Budget and Your Property Taxes
03/30/19
|
Freeholders Trim $900,000 From 2019 Budget; Proposed Tax Hike Dips Below Two Percent
"The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders formally introduced its 2019 budget, which is pegged at $490.197 million and anticipated to yield a 1.75 percent tax levy increase. An estimated $367 million of the budget is expected to be raised by taxation, a roughly $7 million increase over 2018. The remaining $122 million results from County-derived revenue, a decrease from the 2018 figure of $145 million. The 1.75 percent tax levy hike is the lowest increase the freeholders have proposed in 20 years, said Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella. An initial spending plan proposed last month had put the anticipated tax hike at 2 percent. Mirabella, who also heads up the finance committee, said that the Board slashed $900,000 in spending without disrupting services. “This [budget] is good for Union County, and it’s good for the services we offer and [are] providing for our residents,” Mirabella said. The total spending of $490.197 million marks a decrease of about $16 million from last year’s budget. A public hearing on the budget will be held on April 25, at 7 p.m. prior to the regular Freeholder meeting. Both meetings will be held at 10 Elizabethtown Plaza in Elizabeth." Review the full Union County budget HERE. |
|
03/26/19
|
Summit BOSE Votes to Approve Full-Day Kindergarten; District Will Not Reduce Elementary School Sections
"Universal, free, full-day kindergarten (FDK) will begin in Summit in September 2019, replacing the current tuition-based lottery system; and there will be no reduction of classes in Summit’s five elementary schools. These were the highlights of the $65.89 million 2019-20 Summit Public School budget which last night passed the Board of School Estimate (BOSE) by a 4-1 vote, with only Debra McCann, the president of the Board of Education (BOE), voting against it. The budget, which includes $1.5 million for FDK, will mean an tax increase of $137.92 for the average home assessed at $420,000. The Chambers of Summit's City Hall was packed with parents who came to plead their case once again for smaller class sizes, in the wake of the plan to decrease five sections at the elementary school level. Current and former BOE and BOSE members, current and former members of City Council, principals, school supervisors, teachers, administrators, and community members added to the standing-room-only crowd. Summit School Superintendent June Chang surprised the crowd in his opening remarks with the promise that the five sections would not be decreased and no class will begin the school year with more than the district guideline of 22 students for grades K-2 and 24 students for grades 3-5." |
|
03/23/19
|
Summit Council Reviews $51.94M Municipal Operating Budget Plan; Capital Budget May Soar 232 Percent
"The presentation of the 2019 Municipal Budget by City Administrator Michael Rogers took center stage at the Summit Common Council’s March 19 meeting, with the governing body reviewing a proposed municipal operating budget pegged $51,984,799, which represents a 1.19% increase over 2018. The capital budget is $16,755,500, up 232.5% over 2018, which Rogers pointed out is due to the inclusion of costs for a new City firehouse. The combined budgets total $68,740,299, a 21.85% increase over last year. Work on the budget has been under way since last August. It will have its public hearing at the April 23 Council meeting and will presumably be adopted then. The estimated municipal tax rate increase associated with the municipal operating budget is 1.00%, or under $0.01." "[Council President David] Naidu encouraged all residents to review the budget and share their comments at the April 23 council meeting." Read the full TAP summary HERE. Review the full City of Summit 2019 budget presentation HERE. |
|
03/09/19
|
Union County Freeholders Mulling $491.6M Budget; Plan Would Result in Two-Percent Tax Increase
"Union County government is compiling a spending plan that benefits from the recent closure of the county’s juvenile detention center. The $491.6 million budget the Union County Freeholder Board is considering would hike taxes by 2 percent, which County Manager Edward Oatman told the Freeholders on March 7 is the lowest increase for Union County government in the past 20 years." "The County has incorporated fiscal reforms, he said, including a hiring freeze for all non-essential county positions and the closure of the county’s Juvenile Detention Center in Linden, which is anticipated to save the county $24.6 million over three years, Oatman said. Union County government has also reduced overtime spending in the corrections department by $3.1 million over the past three years, including $1.3 million in 2018 alone, he said. The county has proposed a 2 percent funding boost to both Union County College and the Union County Vocational Technical School District, Oatman said. The 2019 budget will also finance a new turf field at Ponderosa Park in Scotch Plains, and new multipurpose fields at John Russell Wheeler Park in Linden and Madison Avenue Park in Rahway, he said." Excerpted from TapIntoSummit 03/09/19 County Taxes paid in 2018 on the typical home Summit City - $4,967 Average residential assessment in 2018 Summit City - $413,189 (Source: Union County Tax Board) Union County's full Executive Budget is available HERE. |
|
03/07/19
|
Summit's Board of Education (BOE) approved -- by a 6-1 vote -- its $65.89 million 2019-20 budget with $1.5 million earmarked for the program. Board President Deb McCann was the lone dissenter.
The three-plus hour meeting included presentation of the proposed budget by Superintendent June Chang and Assistant Superintendent for Business Lou Pepe, comments from dozens of the several hundred community members present, and finally the Board's vote. The final budget was actually less than the preliminary one that was presented at the February BOE meeting, as state aid figures, which were released just hours before the meeting, and “breakage” reduced the budget by $277,136. State aid came in at $2,567,656, which is $252,592 greater than last year. The preliminary budget was based on an assumed flat state-aid figure. It is expected that there will be a $137.92 annual increased tax impact on the average home assessed at $410,000. MARK YOUR CALENDAR for the Board of School Estimate Budget Hearing on March 25, 2109 at 7:00 PM (Summit City Hall 512 Springfield Avenue)! |
| ||
2019 Board of School Estimate Members
Mayor
Nora Radest (D) |
Councilwoman
Marjorie Fox (D) |
Councilman
Matt Gould (D) |
BOE President
Deb McCann (appointed by Mayor Ellen Dickson, re-appointed by Mayor Nora Radest) |
BOE Ops. Chair
Chris Bonner (appointed by Mayor Nora Radest) |
Then-Candidate Nora Radest (October 31, 2015)
"I believe full day kindergarten is important for all of our children. Five and six year old children have a wide range of developmental needs -- social, emotional, physical and cognitive -- all of which should be addressed in the classroom. Full day kindergarten aims to meet ALL of the developmental needs of this age-group through play and developmentally appropriate curriculum, whereas a half day program only has time to address the academic demands that are more pressing then they have ever been at the kindergarten level. Furthermore, the realtor community is reporting that our lack of full day kindergarten is having a negative impact on first-time home buyers’ view of Summit.
The current lottery system is the equivalent of a tax on Summit’s middle class residents. Those who can afford $7000 per year can enter the lottery as well as those who are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Those in the middle cannot even afford to enter the lottery. As for the impact upon the private kindergartens, the market economy will adjust; those organizations will adapt to the changing needs in the community, and I believe they will thrive.
The Board of Education needs continue to limit any spending increases. Any additional funds needed for full day kindergarten will have to be offset by savings elsewhere. Fortunately the Summit Educational Foundation, which contributes $750,000 in non-tax dollars to the schools each year, has a long history of supporting important initiatives."
Then-Candidate Matt Gould (October 19, 2017)
"I support free, universal full-day kindergarten in the Summit Public Schools. Our current system imposes a middle-class tax on Summit’s citizens, and creates institutional inequality. Every study I’ve read suggests that early education is the most critical phase of a student’s journey.
However, I am vehemently opposed to raising residential property taxes. I believe that if our elected officials and educators are creative and collaborative, we can find a way to provide this necessary service without increasing the budget."
Then-Candidate Marjorie Fox (October 27, 2017)
"I support a free universal full day kindergarten because the educational experts in the Summit Public Schools and the educational consultants they retained determined in 2012-13 that full day kindergarten would be beneficial for Summit to implement. In addition, approximately two thirds of the parents of kindergarten children choose to pay for full day kindergarten and many of the rest would enroll in full day kindergarten if they could afford the $7175 tuition. It is a middle class tax. From speaking with voters during this campaign, it is my impression that many residents would like to see a universal full day program. Implementation of universal full day kindergarten would also help preserve our property values because 80% of the school districts in New Jersey offer universal full day kindergarten. When selling your home, having a young couple face a $7,000 tax per child is not a good selling point.
We need to find a fiscally responsible way to implement universal full day kindergarten. I challenge the Board of Education to identify a way to implement this program using existing school buildings and without capital expenditures. The Board of Education has not publicly developed a cost estimate for the implementation of this program in the past few years and after that process is completed, the Board should hold a town hall to discuss school spending priorities, including full day kindergarten."
"I believe full day kindergarten is important for all of our children. Five and six year old children have a wide range of developmental needs -- social, emotional, physical and cognitive -- all of which should be addressed in the classroom. Full day kindergarten aims to meet ALL of the developmental needs of this age-group through play and developmentally appropriate curriculum, whereas a half day program only has time to address the academic demands that are more pressing then they have ever been at the kindergarten level. Furthermore, the realtor community is reporting that our lack of full day kindergarten is having a negative impact on first-time home buyers’ view of Summit.
The current lottery system is the equivalent of a tax on Summit’s middle class residents. Those who can afford $7000 per year can enter the lottery as well as those who are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Those in the middle cannot even afford to enter the lottery. As for the impact upon the private kindergartens, the market economy will adjust; those organizations will adapt to the changing needs in the community, and I believe they will thrive.
The Board of Education needs continue to limit any spending increases. Any additional funds needed for full day kindergarten will have to be offset by savings elsewhere. Fortunately the Summit Educational Foundation, which contributes $750,000 in non-tax dollars to the schools each year, has a long history of supporting important initiatives."
Then-Candidate Matt Gould (October 19, 2017)
"I support free, universal full-day kindergarten in the Summit Public Schools. Our current system imposes a middle-class tax on Summit’s citizens, and creates institutional inequality. Every study I’ve read suggests that early education is the most critical phase of a student’s journey.
However, I am vehemently opposed to raising residential property taxes. I believe that if our elected officials and educators are creative and collaborative, we can find a way to provide this necessary service without increasing the budget."
Then-Candidate Marjorie Fox (October 27, 2017)
"I support a free universal full day kindergarten because the educational experts in the Summit Public Schools and the educational consultants they retained determined in 2012-13 that full day kindergarten would be beneficial for Summit to implement. In addition, approximately two thirds of the parents of kindergarten children choose to pay for full day kindergarten and many of the rest would enroll in full day kindergarten if they could afford the $7175 tuition. It is a middle class tax. From speaking with voters during this campaign, it is my impression that many residents would like to see a universal full day program. Implementation of universal full day kindergarten would also help preserve our property values because 80% of the school districts in New Jersey offer universal full day kindergarten. When selling your home, having a young couple face a $7,000 tax per child is not a good selling point.
We need to find a fiscally responsible way to implement universal full day kindergarten. I challenge the Board of Education to identify a way to implement this program using existing school buildings and without capital expenditures. The Board of Education has not publicly developed a cost estimate for the implementation of this program in the past few years and after that process is completed, the Board should hold a town hall to discuss school spending priorities, including full day kindergarten."
02/14/19
|
2019-2020 Summit Public Schools Draft Budget
(as presented Thursday February 14, 2019 by Superintendent June Chang and Assistant Superintendent/Business Administrator Lou Pepe)
Contact Superintendent June Chang ([email protected]) & BOE President McCann ([email protected]) with comments and questions. MARK YOUR CALENDAR for the Board of School Estimate Budget Hearing on March 25, 2109 at 7:00 PM (Summit City Hall 512 Springfield Avenue)! |
Budget process presentation starts at 27:15
| ||
01/17/19
|
Key Issues Impacting the 2019-2020 Summit Public Schools Budget (as presented Thursday January 17, 2019 by Superintendent June Chang and Assistant Superintendent/Business Administrator Lou Pepe)
Contact Superintendent June Chang ([email protected]) & BOE President McCann ([email protected]) with comments and questions before the fast approaching February Operations Committee and full Board of Education Committee meetings. MARK YOUR CALENDAR for presentation of the tentative budget on Thursday February 14, 2019! |
Budget process presentation starts at 37:03
Download the full budget presentation BELOW:
| ||
Did you know that just about half of your property taxes went to Summit Public Schools in 2018?
For an average Summit household that meant nearly $9,000.
For an average Summit household that meant nearly $9,000.
|
01/03/19
Bristol-Myers Squibb Buying Celgene for $74B; Deal's Future Effect on Corporate Footprint of Summit's Second-Largest Employer Unknown NEW YORK CITY, NJ - Celgene Corporation, the global biotechnology company based in Summit that discovers, develops and commercializes medicines for cancer and inflammatory disorders, is set to be acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb in a cash and stock deal valued at approximately $74 billion. The transaction is subject to approval by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Celgene shareholders and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Bristol-Myers Squibb and Celgene expect to complete the transaction in the third quarter of 2019. Celgene is the Hilltop City's second-largest employer, with more than 2,500 people total employed at its Summit Headquarters, located at 86 Morris Avenue, and at its 'Summit West' campus at 556 Morris Avenue. [...] When contacted by TAPinto Summit, Celgene representatives stated they were "not able to comment beyond the current press release" as to what impact, if any, the acquisition would have to the current Celgene corporate footprint and-or employment base in Summit. Read the full article HERE. |
|
|
12/17/18
An excellent summary of Summit Common Council’s December 12 public workshop meeting on the preliminary 2019 capital budget was prepared and published by Tap into Summit's Karen Ann Kurlander! Key figures discussed:
Read the full meeting recap HERE. |
|
12/14/18
Video and Presentation from Summit Common Council's 2019 Capital Budget Workshop
Video and Presentation from Summit Common Council's 2019 Capital Budget Workshop
|
|
Download the full budget presentation BELOW:
| ||