Ordinance providing BOE funding from redevelopment agreement also introduced at council meeting
At last week’s meeting, council adopted an ordinance that would change the salary ranges of township employees and officers and introduced an ordinance that could share revenue generated by taxes involved with the Washington Square Project with the Board of Education.
Council members voted to adopt an ordinance on second reading that changed the salary ranges for eight township employees and officers, five of whom are new hires this year. The ordinance passed with a 3–2 vote. Councilwoman Dana Pasqualone and Councilman Nick Fazzio voted no.
“All of us councilmembers came here to do the job that the taxpayers want us to do, so I think we should be really mindful of the decision we make. It’s a very important one,” Pasqualone said prior to the vote. “Think about everybody; think about everybody that’s going to be affected by this on fixed incomes.”
The ordinance had the public concerned as many of the salary ranges being changed were raised between 7 and 13 percent from last year.
“These are just ranges. We have the power to say, ‘no they’re not getting this much money; they’re not getting that raise,’” Councilwoman Angela Donato said. “We’re increasing the range, not the salary.”
Many residents distressed about increases in taxes urged the council members to consider tabling the ordinance to make alterations requiring the salary increases to only take place after an employee had held a position for a year.
“If you build it, they will come; if you increase the salary ranges, they will be used,” resident Chet Nawoyski said. “I would suggest at this time, being that we don’t have a proven track record for our new business administrator, or some of the other people, we table everything, wait at least eight to 12 months, and at that time those seeking salary increases should go for a formal salary increase review.”
Fazzio motioned to table the ordinance, Pasqualone seconded, however the motion failed when Donato, Councilman Sean Longfellow and Councilman Joseph Perry voted no.
“The whole idea is to not do this again next year,” Longfellow said on why the increases were at such a high rate in comparison to previous years, which on average were between 2 and 3 percent. According to Longfellow, the changes in salary ranges totaled $61,000, making up 0.19 percent of the budget.
Fazzio made the decision to forgo his salary, offering to return the checks he has received so far this year so his earnings may be used toward the administration’s budget.
“It’s my decision to make. I respect your opinions, but I will be making that call,” Fazzio said. “I will not be taking a salary.”
Council introduced an ordinance that could allow 44 percent of revenue paid to the township in the form of payment in lieu of taxes from the Washington Square Project to be shared with the Board of Education. The ordinance was introduced with a 3–0 vote. Donato and Perry recused themselves as they hold positions within the school district.
The commercial project includes more than 330 rental apartments and stacked townhomes, 70,000 square feet of retail space, 100,000 square feet of office space, three acres of central park, and 37 percent open space. The project entered a redevelopment plan more than a decade ago, and last year the PILOT tax agreement was approved by the council and Board of Education as one of the final steps.
The agreement calls for an annual payment in lieu of taxes based upon 12 percent of gross revenues that the developer receives from the project, according to Township Solicitor Stuart Platt. Platt said this will give the municipality the entire amount of revenue generated from PILOT, besides the 5 percent which is paid to the county.
“One of the tools through redevelopment is PILOT,” Platt said. “This is a benefit to the municipality because it receives more than they’d otherwise get through regular taxation.”
Of the six components to the project, four are residential. Traditionally, school districts wouldn’t receive any revenue from the PILOT agreement, however with the development of homes that will generate more school-aged children, the Board of Education and council saw it appropriate to incorporate the district within the funding.
“With the inclusion of 330 apartments in this commercial development, it was crucial that the township and the school board work together to allocate funding to offset the cost of educating the new students,” Board of Education President Ginny Murphy said. “The separate contractual agreement entered into by the township and the school board is an example of good government at work, where the focus is on what is best for the township community as a whole.”
The public hearing for the ordinance will be held on March 8 at 7 p.m.
In other news:
· Mayor Joann Gattinelli appointed Andrew Nichols as a full-time police officer in the Washington Township Police Department. Nichols, who has held a part-time position up to this point, replaced a retired officer, beginning Feb. 24.
· Michelle Martin was appointed to the planning board as a Class IV member, while Ernie D’Orazio was appointed as a Class II member.
