The West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District passed a resolution that could change the apportionment of taxes between the two towns that send students to the district’s schools.##M:[more]##
Currently, each town’s share of the school tax levy is decided by the equalized assessed value of property in each town. According to board members, switching to a per-pupil distribution will help stabilize the “dramatic swings” the towns have experienced over the past few years.
On Tuesday, March 13, the board voted 6-0 to put the resolution on the April 17 ballot. If the measure passes in both towns, it will go into effect with the 2009-2010 school year.
“This will give us higher lows and lower highs,” said Stan Katz, 11-year member of the board. “This is a win-win proposition. I think people in both towns value the stability that this would bring. That trumps everything else. It’s more important than the idea that in one year they might pay a little less.”
This year’s tax impact, based on equalized valuation, results in Plainsboro’s residents being responsible for 40.4 percent of the school tax levy, or $52,”961,”000. West Windsor will pay 59.6 percent, or $75,”680,”000. If the towns were to be taxed on a per-pupil basis, Plainsboro would pay 41.6 percent, and West Windsor would pay 58.4 percent.
West Windsor’s share of the tax levy rose almost 6 percent this year due to its state-mandated revaluation in 2006. As a result, estimates show that Plainsboro’s school tax will decrease by 0.3 percent. When Plainsboro underwent revaluation, the town’s tax impact, based on equalized valuation, rose by 25 percent in 2003.
“What this will do is eliminate these wide swings from year to year. The split as it is now is fairly close to what it would be if it were split in terms of number of students,” said school board president Hemant Marathe. “It will give some predictability to the towns.”
The vote must be approved in each town individually. Both Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu and West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh have supported the resolution. “We would not have moved forward with this without the support of both townships,” said Marathe.
