This year, some voters in towns in Monmouth and Ocean counties will also vote locally on municipal and school changes.
In preparation for the upcoming Election Day, here’s a look at the municipal and school district questions on the ballot for Monmouth and Ocean.
Atlantic Highlands
Shall the Borough of Atlantic Highlands acquire, preserve and improve land for open space, conservation, recreation and parks purposes, and increase the annual levy from one cent ($0.01) to two cents ($0.02) per $100 to assessed valuation and use that income annually for that purpose?
The district is asking voters if they can increase the open space tax from one cent per hundred dollars of assessed valuation to two cents and use that money for the Open Space Trust Fund. So if your house was appraised at $700,000, your share of this tax would increase from $70 per year to $140 per year.
Beach paradise
Shall the Borough of Beach Haven establish an annual levy of $0.01 per $100.00 of assessed value of real property located within the Borough and apply such revenue annually for one or more of the following purposes, or any combination thereof: (a) acquisition of land for recreational and conservation purposes; (b) development of land for recreational and conservation purposes; c) the maintenance of land for recreational and conservation purposes; (d) historic preservation of historic properties, structures, facilities, sites, areas or objects and the acquisition of such properties, structures, facilities, locations, areas or objects for purposes of historic preservation; or (e) payment of debt services on debts issued or incurred by the Municipality, for the purposes set out in paragraphs (a), (b), (c) or (d) above.
The council is asking voters to establish a Municipal Open Space, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund, created based on a property tax of one cent per $100 of assessed property value, to preserve land for recreational and conservation purposes . A house valued at $1 million would pay a tax of $100 annually. The city estimates this tax will raise $220,000 annually.
Election 2024: Early voting ends Sunday for Monmouth County residents. You can vote here
Bradley Beach
Will a charter committee be elected to study the charter of the Borough of Bradley Beach and consider and make recommendations regarding a new charter or improvements to the current charter?
Bradley Beach currently has a mayor who is elected for four-year terms and four council members who are elected for three-year terms. If approved, this would create a commission to study changing that form of government. Any proposed changes would then have to go to voters to decide.
Highlands
There are two questions on the ballot.
Question No. 1: SShould the Borough of Highlands accept the massive federal flood wall project as presented at the May 14, 2024 public meeting, which includes the possible exercise of eminent domain to acquire private property, with an initial estimated cost to taxpayers of at least $13 million dollars, in addition to the annual funding paid by taxpayers for maintenance estimated to be at least $452,000 per year?
The borough is asking voters to approve a flood protection project that will cost a total of $148 million but is contingent on local residents paying $13 million.
Question No. 2: Do you support the Borough in exploring a tax credit for Highlands by allowing Sea Bright students to attend the Henry Hudson Regional School District?
The district is asking voters whether elected officials should move forward with a plan to bring Sea Bright students to regional Henry Hudson schools as a way to reduce taxes.
Manalapan
Will the City of Manalapan, Monmouth County, New Jersey, be authorized to sell its water system (commonly known as the “Water System”) to Veolia Water New Jersey, Inc. to the tune of $4,000,000?
The municipality is asking residents to vote on whether they can sell the water system to a private company to pay off the municipality’s debts. Customers would pay the same service rate at the time of sale for the first two years, which could then increase by 3% over the next three years.
Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District
The Board of Education of the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District in the County of Monmouth, New Jersey (the “Board”) is authorized to (a) make various improvements, modifications, renovations and upgrades to the John I. Dawes Early Learning Center , Clark Mills School, Lafayette Mills School, Milford Brook School, Pine Brook School, Taylor Mills School and Wemrock Brook School, including purchase and installation of fixtures, furniture, equipment and any on-site work; (b) carrying out various improvements, alterations, renovations and upgrades, and carrying out the construction of an addition to Manalapan-Englishtown Middle School, including the procurement and installation of fixtures, furnishings, equipment and any site work; (c) apply $115,378,211 for such improvements; and (d) issue bonds in an amount not to exceed $115,378,211.
The district is asking voters whether the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District should borrow more than $115 million to pay for school building upgrades, which must be paid back over 20 years. Homeowners would see a property tax increase with this proposal. For residents of Manalapan, where the average house tax is $610,224, the average property tax increase would be $367.20 per year starting in 2026.
Election 2024: Early voting ends Sunday for Ocean County residents. You can vote here
Middle town
Should Middletown increase the levy for the existing Middletown Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund, from the currently approved and implemented annual levy of three cents per $100 of equalized valuation to four cents per $100 of equalized valuation, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:12-15.7(a), to finance additional acquisitions and improvements to open space and parkland properties?
The township is asking voters to increase the special tax levy by one cent to four cents per $100 of assessed valuation and to use those funds for additional acquisitions and improvements to the Township Open Space Trust Fund. For a home valued at $700,000, that would mean the annual tax on it would increase from $210 to $280.
Neptune City School District
Do you agree with removing the name “Woodrow Wilson” from the Neptune City School Building?
This city is asking voters whether the name “Woodrow Wilson” and all references associated with “Woodrow Wilson” should be removed from the school building. Wilson, former president of Princeton University, governor of New Jersey and the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921, has come under scrutiny in recent years for his racist attitudes and policies toward African Americans.
Sea clear
Do you support the Borough in exploring educational opportunities and property tax relief available to Sea Bright by transferring Sea Bright students to the Henry Hudson Regional School District?
The district is asking voters whether elected officials should move forward with a plan to bring Sea Bright students to regional Henry Hudson schools as a way to reduce taxes.
Wall
Shall the Township of Wall, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:12-15.7d(1), adopt an ordinance authorizing the establishment of an Open Space, Recreation, Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund (hereinafter “Wall Township Open Space Fund”) ? by establishing a municipal property tax of $0.015 per $100.00 of assessed property value, to be used to preserve and preserve lands and open space, and to protect water quality in rivers, streams and other waterways . The Wall Township Open Space Fund would be authorized to use funds for the acquisition, development and maintenance of land for recreational and conservation purposes.
The council is asking voters to establish an Open Space Fund established based on a property tax of $1.5 cents per $100 of assessed property value to preserve land for recreational and conservation purposes. For an average home assessed in Wall, this would increase the tax payment by about $74 per year.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Election Day 2024: Monmouth municipal, school questions, Ocean ballots
