Panel Reports on Tax Issues New Leaf Collection System Begins
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The ...any real reduction in local Serving our Community property taxes would have to Since 1888 be legislated at the state level. Item Report by ad hoc task force September 22, 2005 delivered at Township Committe meeting 75 cents weekly of Millburn and Short Hills www.theitemonline.com CELEBRATING LONGEVITY MUNICIPAL Panel reports on tax issues New leaf collection system begins By Patricia Harris the cost of inflation, treating all of The Item municipalities equally when deal- ing with state funding and allowing Taxes and leaves dominated the towns to pay into the pension sys- discussion at this week’s Township tem each year. Committee meeting. In addition, she said, the state One of the conclusions of an ad could aid municipalities by allow- hoc task force formed by Township ing them to choose or not choose Committeewoman Sandra H. Civil Service, reduce mandates and Haimoff is that any real reduction regulations, enact equal treatment in local property taxes would have legislation and eliminate State Aid to be legislated at the state level. to Trenton, a program in which Haimoff delivered the report from towns pay the state fee on town- the group at Tuesday night’s ses- ship permits, fines and inspections. sion. Also, municipalities are required to The seven-member task force— hold a large reserve for uncollected composed of members of the taxes, so the county and school lia- Township Committee, the Board of bilities can be met. If that amount Education and resident represen- were reduced, property taxes could tatives, with Haimoff serving as be reduced, according to Haimoff. chairman—has met approximately The task force considered six times since spring to study the sources of revenue that could issue of property taxes, and this potentially provide property tax week’s presentation focused on relief: a local sales tax, an alcoholic municipal operations. The use to beverage tax or an employee tax, which the information generated which is a flat fee imposed on each by the task force will be put has yet employee working in a municipal- to be determined. ity. Also, at present, the state ADAM ANIK/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER In her presentation, Haimoff imposes a 7 percent tax on hotel Seniors arrive Sunday at the Bauer Community Center for the township’s Day of Honor recognizing those who have lived in listed a number of suggestions the usage, of which the township the community for 50 years or more. Bus driver Elaine Birnholz, at left, watches the guests arrive. Greeting Adeline Pittenger, state could implement that would receives 3 percent. Increasing the disembarking the senior citizen bus, is Dan Carella. The festivities included the presentation of certificates to the longtime result in a reduction of property municipal share could offer prop- residents. See story, additional photos, Pages B6 to B8. taxes. Those include permitting a local sales tax, indexing state aid to SEE PANEL, PAGE D4 SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION FORMER SAKS SITE Pro-referendum group forms Appeals court gets By Harry Trumbore construction were adopted, in Board of Education meeting. issues with the way the board pre- of The Item large part, by the Board of Educa- How the video may be used has sents information to the public. to hear Ahold saga tion. not been determined by the group, “They should make things more As the Board of Education Boldt made the point that the Boldt said. accessible and do a better job of An attorney for the township represent the township. Delia said mulls over whether or not to pro- board is in no way involved in the The creation of the new group boiling things down,” he said. will have the opportunity Oct. 3 to this week the three-member ceed with a $40.2 million bond creation of VOTE YES and the also appears to put its members in At that point, however, the two officially protest the building of a appeals court had a tremendous referendum to fund construction group is not affiliated with any opposition to another citizen’s organizations differ. While supermarket on Millburn Avenue amount of testimony to review at the middle and high schools, a PTO. organization, WeLoveMillburn has maintained when the Appellate Division of the before oral arguments could be grass roots organization, “VOTE “This is a group of people who WeLoveMillburn.com, which was the board and administration have state Superior Court hears oral scheduled. YES for Millburn Education,” has have no interest in politics,” Boldt established in the spring. not provided the answers its mem- arguments in the case. Opponents of the supermarket formed this week to support the said Monday. Since that time, WeLoveMill- bers are seeking, Boldt said, “it The hearing will take place are contesting a January 2004 rul- construction program. Politics may be unavoidable as burn members have criticized the seems like they don’t like the more than a year after legal briefs ing by the Superior Court that the According to Michael Boldt, one member of the new group, board’s reliance on a demograph- answers. To say, ‘I don’t like that were filed contesting a ruling Springfield Zoning Board of who heads the VOTE YES steer- Dan Strickler, received permission ic report they believe overesti- answer,’ doesn’t mean no one’s which permits a Dutch conglom- Adjustment unreasonably denied ing committee, the new organiza- from the superintendent of schools mates school population growth. answered the question.” erate to build a Stop & Shop the site plan application. The board tion includes several former to film activity in the hallways of The group also has questioned the Any frustration among VOTE supermarket on the Saks Fifth had rejected the application by school PTO and PTO Conference the middle and high schools last board’s construction plans, partic- YES members who served on the Avenue site. Attorneys indicated at Royal Ahold, owner of the Stop & presidents and officers as well as week for an informational video- ularly at the middle school, and long-range committees, Boldt said, that time they believed oral argu- Shop chain of supermarkets, in the members of the long-range plan- tape. asked the board to offer alternative stems from the fact they felt the ments would be scheduled by the summer of 2002 after approxi- ning committees whose recom- Heated debate about the video- plans. end of the year. mately eight years of hearings, legal mendations for secondary school taping dominated the Sept. 12 Boldt said VOTE YES also has SEE REFERENDUM, PAGE D4 “We’ve been in a long holding pattern,” said James Delia, who will SEE APPEALS, PAGE D4 SCHOOL SUMMIT CLEARING THE ZONE Zoning Board to hear cell tower witnesses Bond talk yields The attorney for a cell phone company seeking to build an 82–foot tower in the Oakey Tract few conclusions is scheduled to resume her presentation at the township intendent of Schools Richard Zoning Board of Adjustment Referendum Brodow, representatives from the meeting scheduled for Monday at board, members from the commu- 7 p.m. at Town Hall. opponents meet nity group WeLoveMillburn.com and several residents who partici- The attorney, Judith Ann Babinski, pated in the long-range planning began presenting expert informally with committees that studied space needs at the schools. witnesses on behalf of Cingular administration Although the participants report Wireless at the Aug. 15 meeting. little was accomplished at the Because of the number of By Harry Trumbore meeting, they agreed at least the applications already on the of The Item talk was civil. “I appreciated meeting with agenda for the board’s Sept. 12 After several emotionally- them,” Brodow said this week. meeting, testimony for the charged Board of Education meet- “The tenor of our discussion was Cingular site plan application was ings in a row, school administra- polite and constructive.” Unfortu- tors, along with opponents and nately, the superintendent said, the held over to Monday night’s supporters of proposed construc- parties were unable to move the meeting. tion at the middle and high debate about school construction schools, decided to try something to a new level. Babinski is expected to recall a different. Both the administration and the civil engineer and a planner to They met informally Sept. 13 for WeLoveMillburn representatives testify.During his previous a low-keyed discussion of the said they expected the other side to issues surrounding a possible bond present alternative plans to the JIM CONNELLY/THE ITEM appearance, the civil engineer told referendum to fund construction at board’s construction proposals Defender Michael Kirn (6) of the Millburn High School varsity boys soccer team sends the the board the cell tower would be the schools. ball upfield during the first half of Monday afternoon’s contest against DePaul. At left is constructed to the east of a 48- The gathering included Super- SEE BOND, PAGE D4 Millburn’s David Spektor (22). The Millers prevailed 4-2. See Page C9 for additional photo. foot high water tower on the site. 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