Welcome to Taxwood

In April 2003 the public school budget was rejected by over 100 votes. In the first ward 181 voters said no and 137 yes. In the second ward 307 voters said no and 144 yes. In the third ward 108 voters said no and 235 yes. In the fourth ward 68 voters said no and 160 yes. The result was: 827 voters citywide voted to reject the budget and only 723 voted to approve the budget. Weeks later the City Council voted unanimously to uphold the budget increase of 12 ½% disregarding the wishes of the voters.

Given the results of the vote, a symbolic cut in the budget was definitely in order.

This was a city-wide vote, and we are reminding our elected officials they must listen to the voters. When elected officials ignore the voters, it creates an atmosphere of resentment, and resentment can have a long memory.

To our knowledge no other local elected officials in Bergen County overturned the choice of the voters when the school budget was voted down. In numerous districts the budget was voted down this year and small cuts were made by elected officials. But not here in Taxwood. Voting down the school budget is not only an issue of money. It is a clear signal to the Superintendent, the majority of the voters are unhappy with the status of Public Education.

The consensus of the Board of Education is to build a new elementary school on Durie Park (1st Ward). This excellent 4 ½ acre park is in the inventory of open space in the City of Englewood. This fact could raise legal issues, but perhaps it could become a new school with a capacity of 700 students. Also it appears the consensus is to build a pre-K on the Quarles campus. In addition they will sell the land facing Glenwood Road, where possibly two homes could be built. The price of the land is around $700 thousand.

Durie Park is about 150 feet from Cleveland Elementary School where hundreds of vehicles arrive during the hours of pick-up and drop-off.

Also located in the 1st Ward is the Quarles school at the corner of Glenwood Road and Davidson Place, Elizabeth Morrow school, Dwight-Englewood School, Cleveland School, St. Paul’s, St. Cecilia and the Englewood Charter School. Eventually expansion of the Dwight Englewood School into their Booth Avenue and North Woodland Street campus will become a reality. Together all those schools will produce traffic of buses, mini-buses and cars of approximately 2,000 vehicles two times a day, or four thousand vehicles per day.

Homeowners who live in the neighborhood of these campuses are very concerned and opposed to the plans to build more schools in this neighborhood. Our roads cannot support this traffic. It is unsafe, dangerous, and environmentally suicidal. Noise pollution, loss of home values, loss of old trees and vegetation, water runoff, and an ocean of asphalt will create, without a doubt, a commercial look to this residential neighborhood as property taxes go up.

The referendum on school construction plans could take place January 2004 if the Superintendent secures about 20% to 40% of the total construction cost (about $48 million) in state funding. Right now neither he nor the Board of Ed. knows the exact funding that the state will contribute. Regardless, the Superintendent calculates that the state will provide $16 million. Maybe the state will give less. Then the cost of construction to the homeowners could increase substantially unless they cut the building cost and exclude pre-K.

Referendums on school construction plans are solely up to the voters. The Superintendent and the Board of Education can have a referendum for construction plans four times a year by itself and also place it on the school election ballot - a total of five times a year. The city only has taxpayers’ money, and sometimes receives grants. We the homeowners pay 75% of all taxes. (Source: The Master Plan) Indeed about one thousand four hundred homeowners are victims of tax abuse.

IT MAY GET WORSE!

Our councilmen are seriously thinking about creating a community center in the Lincoln School building located at 51 Englewood Avenue. This building is 58,500 square feet on roughly a two acre lot. It is our opinion this particular building is way too large for a community center. According to city officials it will take about $4 million plus cost overruns to rehabilitate the building. In addition, it will be extremely expensive to staff and maintain. Imagine the salaries for an executive director, an assistant director and a huge amount of supporting staff and their health benefits. Is our local government in a spending frenzy?

Do you know we pay almost $1 million a year to the Department of Recreation?

(Source: city budget)

Maybe our four councilmen, new mayor and the next councilman-at-large will change their minds and look into the ice skating rink in Mackay Park whose lease is up in 2009. Perhaps they should create a second level or expand the building. Liberty and Lincoln schools are planned to go out of service as schools. Then the buildings could bring tax dollars to the city.

Does this make sense to you? Please let us know.

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