To the Editor:
Boal: Math Changes
Encouraging
Thank you for your summary of the WW-P math curriculum report (The News, August 15). It is encouraging to read that the WW-P school district plans to allow more eighth graders to take algebra, and that the district has the foresight to understand this will affect related math programs.##M:[more]##
These changes should improve the alignment between the district’s courses and the capabilities of our students, increasing excellence and decreasing student pressure at minimal cost to taxpayers. I look forward to learning about the August 26 school board presentation, about the action plan Steve Mayer intends to draft, and about initiatives in other departments to increase excellence. Today’s students need improvements quickly.
Brett Boal
Park Hill Terrace, West Windsor
Editor’s note: See story, page 12, for a report on the August 26 meeting.
Property Tax Issue
Needs Clarification
In the August 15 edition of the West Windsor-Plainsboro News, an opinion piece submitted by Mr. Joseph Pascal from the Estates at Princeton Junction Homeowners Association contained a number of inaccurate statements regarding property taxes and the overall financial management of the township. The following points should help provide clarification:
The total tax rate consists of six components, including the Municipal Tax, Municipal Open Space Tax, County Tax, County Library Tax, County Open Space Tax, and School Tax. The Municipal Tax represents 14.9 percent of the total tax rate and is the only portion of the total tax rate that the Mayor and Township Council can directly control.
The average home in West Windsor assessed at $556,”973 paid a total of $11,”083.76 in property taxes in 2007 based on a total tax rate of $1.99 per hundred dollars of assessed valuation. The total tax rate for 2008 is $2.102 per hundred dollars of assessed valuation. Based on this total tax rate, the average home in West Windsor Township will pay $11,”707.57 or $623.81 more in taxes in 2008.
Of the 11.2 cent total tax rate increase for 2008, 3.4 cents ($189.37) is a direct result of the Annual Municipal Budget. It is important to note that out of the 3.4 cent Municipal Tax increase, 1.3 cents ($72.41) represents the loss of state aid and state-mandated pension increases.
Many of the homes in the Estates at Princeton Junction Development are newer and would have paid a pro-rata portion of taxes in the year of sale based on partial ownership for the year compared to a full year of tax liability for the 2008 calendar year. The property values in this development may also be higher than the average home in West Windsor. Therefore homeowners will pay a proportionately higher amount in taxes.
The Township of West Windsor has the second lowest debt ratio in Mercer County at .64 percent as of December 31, 2007. Debt ratios range from .60 percent to 1.79 percent of net debt to the three year average equalized valuation. This information, along with other comparative data, is available on the State of New Jersey Division of Local Government Services website.
In 2007 the Township of West Windsor was recognized for its sound financial management and was assigned a Triple-A rating by Standard & Poors Rating Service. The S&P financial assessment noted several key practices employed by the Township, including frequent monitoring of budget versus actual performance throughout the year, a comprehensive trend analysis performed when arriving upon revenue and expenditure assumptions for the budget, and a formal six-year capital plan, updated annually, with all funding sources identified and linked to the operating and capital budgets.
The state-mandated property tax cap restricts the annual increase in the municipal tax levy. While there is a four percent limit in the amount to be raised by taxation for municipal purposes, there are several exclusions built in to the property tax cap formula including offset for loss of state aid, increases in state-mandated pension costs, changes in the amount of debt service and adjustments for new ratables. The Township’s 2008 municipal tax levy, $19,”588,”268, was actually $106,”912 less than the maximum allowed under the state formula.
In March of each year, the accomplishments, goals and proposed line item budgets for each department and division are reviewed and discussed by Township Council in a series of budget review sessions that are open to the public. Please check the Township website for meeting dates and times.
Copies of the 2008 Municipal Operating Budget, six-year capital plan, and related financial documents are available for public review and inspection in the Township Clerk’s Office. Additional financial questions or concerns can be submitted to us any time at Administration@westwindsortwp.com or Financial@westwindsortwp.com.
Christopher R. Marion
Business Administrator,
West Windsor Township
Pascal Does Not Speak for All
As a homeowner since 2005, I know the Estates at Princeton Junction Homeowners Association has a no-political-activity policy; so I was understandably disturbed to read the opinion piece by Joe Pascal (The News, August 15). Mr. Pascal has written a very personal statement which he has every right to voice as an individual. However, it alludes to community activity and implies that, as a Board member, his opinion reflects that of the majority of the 530 homeowners in our association. This is misleading and cannot remain unchallenged.
If any polling mentioned by Mr. Pascal took place, no one I have spoken with seems to know about it. I do know that some homeowners have appealed their assessments; some protested by voting against the budget in the School Board election; and, the most optimistic contacted their Trenton elected representatives looking for meaningful property tax reform.
I have never met anyone in the State of New Jersey, let alone our community, who is not distressed by the present property tax situation. Mr. Pascal has chosen to place all that blame on the mayor. He chose national politicians, however irrelevant to the local situation, to make his case. For example, he mentions the recall of Gray Davis. I lived in California during the Gray Davis recall. Governor Davis was not recalled because of property taxes, California had solved that problem in the 1970s with Proposition 13. Davis was recalled because his flawed energy deregulation policy brought chaos to Californians in the form of brownouts, rolling blackouts, and bankrupted utility companies.
I truly wish the resolution of New Jersey’s property tax situation was solvable with a phone call and an E-mail. Obviously it is not. Mr. Pascal’s piece did not make a case to blame the mayor for our community’s property tax woes. The township administrative staff is small; all of the employees you could meet in a few minutes; cuts are difficult. Whether or not residents agree with the mayor’s decisions on the budget, dumping vitriol on the mayor cannot possibly be the keystone to solving the property tax mess.
This is my opinion — as a resident trying to figure out what works best.
Barbara McCarthy
46 Nestlewood Way, West Windsor
Political Finger Pointing Not Productive
As a resident of the Estates at Princeton Junction, I’d like to point out that Mr. Joseph Pascal neither represents, nor sought feedback from, the residents of the Estates at Princeton Junction before writing the article entitled “Hold Mayor Hsueh Accountable For Tax Increase.” There are many false accusations in the article. Therefore, Mr. Pascal should not imply that he is acting as a board member of the Estates at Princeton Junction and imply that this is the opinion of the residents at large. We prefer to be part of the solution, and not part of the problem.
Political finger pointing and negative criticism without justification is not the proper way to solve a problem. It leads to unproductive conversations and unnecessary distaste for all government officials. Such an attack creates more problems than solutions. There is a forum for voicing strong opinions and debates. That forum is either during the public comments portion of a Town Council meeting or during a Mayor’s Town Hall meeting, which occurs regularly.
Many residents volunteer a great deal of time to become knowledgeable and often experts on specific projects around town, enabling themselves to propose effective solutions to move the community forward, while preserving other important projects, such as safer roads, community services, and home security. Leaders work together to solve problems.
The residents at the Estates at Princeton Junction are highly intelligent, effective communicators, willing to become part of the solution, and not part of the problem. Therefore, such political finger pointing articles are not consistent with the upstanding leadership and reputation of the residents at the Estate of Princeton Junction.
Michael Huey
38 Devonshire Drive,
The Estates at Princeton Junction
Referendum Report:
‘We Ran Out of Time’
Bottom line for the West Windsor Transit Village initiative? We ran out of time and did not have the requisite signatures. We didn’t lose the game; we ran out of time.
We feel confident our accomplishments in trying to provide Township taxpayers choices within the past two weeks has eclipsed the Township’s seven years and over $1 million spent without voter approval.
Township Attorney Michael Herbert stated that the cost of a referendum was a negative aspect of our endeavor yet we were earlier goaded by West Windsor Council to get its 50 percent Council salary increase on the ballot. Council viewed its salary increase as an appropriate expenditure but to this date has deemed providing the voters a choice on the biggest project in Township history to be a waste of money.
As a committee of two, we tried to give voters some input. Both proponents and opponents of redevelopment lost a valuable avenue to express themselves.
On a personal note, we both feel we let down the residents and our signators. We appreciate the lively conversations we had with each of you, and your input suggests to us that no one is listening at the Township level. Your perspectives and opinions were all valid and justified. We ask that you continue to be vigilant.
Thank you again for placing your confidence in our endeavor by lending your signature. Each one of you who signed came forward as someone who cares about the future of West Windsor and we thank you.
The one common question from all of you was simply: Why were residents not polled prior to undertaking this massive expenditure of scarce time and money? Regards and thanks for your support.
Pete Weale
144 Fisher Place, West Windsor
Michael Ranallo
15 Cornwall Avenue, Trenton
WW Needs Identity
As a resident of the Penns Neck area of West Windsor for the past six years, I have met many vibrant and interesting people who make this community a special place to live — students, business people, artists, young people, older people, people who grew up here, people who came from other cities, states and nations. West Windsor needs a “place” that matches the energy and diversity of its residents — a place we can get to know each other better and enjoy a sense of community.
But of course it’s not as simple as that. The complexities of developing and financing such a vision are difficult and daunting. As the Mayor and Council move closer to making some clear decisions regarding redevelopment, I urge them to consider the opportunity to serve the community by leveraging private investment.
West Windsor should be the proactive township that takes advantage of private investment to redevelop its train station, build a 1,”000-car parking deck for township residents, leverage $74 million in private dollars to modernize the antiquated road network and create a Main Street on Route 571 for the identity this town needs.
In the current economy, in which the county and state simply don’t have the funds to update our infrastructure, we need to maximize all opportunities and take advantage of private investment for the public good.
My message to the mayor and council: Do what is right for this great community. Help prepare us for the future by supporting this proactive redevelopment plan.
I urge our elected leaders to establish a time line to move ahead with a plan that not only achieves the vision of our community, but makes sense financially.
Jennifer Mahan
West Windsor
Encourage Ratables
Fellow citizens of West Windsor, a bit of advice: Stop worrying about how many houses are going to be built in the redevelopment area and start worrying about what your future tax bills are going to look like. I assure you that the tax matter is of much greater concern than the house matter.
The situation is obvious: West Windsor’s tax ratables base will not generate sufficient revenues to provide the services required for the population growth that is surely coming to West Windsor. The news story on Mercer County’s population spurt that appeared in the July 31 issue of the Trenton Times confirms this impending growth.
A well planned, beautiful redevelopment project that will meet our citizens’ needs and encourage ratables growth is the only game left in town. Status quo is an option that has already been foreclosed upon. The redevelopment opportunity train is leaving the Princeton Junction Train Station. Get aboard. West Windsor cannot afford to keep missing trains as it has done in the past. Alvin Lerner
Rainflower Lane, West Windsor
SADD: Keep Age For Drinking at 21
In response to the renewed debate over underage drinking, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) reemphasizes its stance in opposition to lowering the drinking age.
SADD believes that lowering the current minimum-age drinking laws would likely do little, if anything, to reduce problematic drinking on college campuses and would contribute to the downward age trending of initiation into alcohol use by legally moving it to the high school community. According to SADD’s research, students in grades 6-12 ranked the drinking age as the number one reason why they choose not to use alcohol.
According to the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking, alcohol use by young people is a leading contributor to death from injuries, plays a significant role in risky sexual behavior, increases the risk of assault, and is associated with academic failure and illicit drug use. Specifically, this report highlights that:
An estimated 1,”700 college students die each year from alcohol-related injuries;
Approximately 600,”000 students are injured while under the influence of alcohol;
Some 700,”000 students are assaulted by other students who have been drinking; and
About 100,”000 students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assaults or date rapes.
In addition, impaired driving crashes kill thousands of young people each year.
As the nation’s preeminent peer-to-peer youth education, prevention, and activism organization, SADD provides students with the tools and resources they need to make healthy choices and help their friends and peers to do the same. SADD students abide by a “No Use” policy, in which they do not support or condone the use of alcohol by underage young people.
For more information about SADD, visit sadd.org. For additional facts and details about this issue, visit why21.org.
Stephen Wallace
Chairman & CEO of SADD
