Bill Text: NJ A1325 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires school districts to identify in the school budget question presented at annual school election the percentage change in school tax levy between the prebudget and budget years.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-12 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [A1325 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A1325-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman DAVID W. WOLFE
District 10 (Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Requires school districts to identify in the school budget question presented at annual school election the percentage change in school tax levy between the prebudget and budget years.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning school district budgets and amending N.J.S.18A:13-17 and N.J.S.18A:22-33.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. N.J.S.18A:13-17 is amended to read as follows:
18A:13-17. The regional board of education shall, at each annual school election, submit to the voters of the regional district the amount of money fixed and determined in its budget to be voted upon for the use of the regional schools of the district for the ensuing school year and may submit thereat any other question authorized by this law to be submitted at such an election. The board shall, in submitting to the voters the amount of money to be voted upon for the use of the regional schools of the district for the ensuing school year, identify the percentage increase or decrease between the amount of money raised in the current school year and the amount to be raised for the ensuing school year.
The board may, in submitting to the voters the amount of money to be voted upon for the use of the regional schools of the district, identify the amount of money determined to be the constituent municipality's share. The board shall follow the procedures established in section 5 of P.L.1996, c.138 (C.18A:7F-5) and N.J.S.18A:22-33.
(cf: P.L.2001, c.26, s.1)
2. N.J.S.18A:22-33 is amended to read as follows:
18A:22-33. The board of education of each type II district not having a board of school estimate shall at each annual school election, submit to the voters of the district, the amount of money fixed and determined in its budget pursuant to section 5 of P.L.1996, c.138 (C.18A:7F-5), excluding therefrom the sum or sums stated therein to be used for interest and debt redemption charges, in the manner provided by law, to be voted upon for the use of the public schools of the district for the ensuing school year, which amount shall be stated in the notice of the election, and the legal voters of the district shall determine at the election, by a majority vote of those voting upon the proposition, the sum or sums, not exceeding those stated in the notice of the election, to be raised by special district tax for said purposes, in the district during the ensuing school year and the secretary of the board of education shall certify the amount so determined upon, if any, and the sums so stated for interest and debt redemption charges, to the county board of taxation of the county within two days following the certification of the election results and the amount or amounts so certified shall be included in the taxes assessed, levied and collected in the municipality or municipalities comprising the district for such purposes; except that, in the case of a district which, following the school election and the approval by the voters of the sum to be raised by special district tax for the schools of the district, determines that it has a greater surplus account available for the school year than estimated when the sum to be raised by special district tax was presented to the voters, the secretary of the board of education, with the approval of the commissioner, may between the date of the school election and the delivery of tax bills pursuant to R.S.54:4-64 re-certify to the county board of taxation the sum or sums to be raised by special district tax in the district during the ensuing school year, if the sum is lower than that approved by the voters in the school election, and if the reduction is equivalent to the additional amount available in the surplus account to be applied towards the district's budget. The amount re-certified shall be included in the taxes assessed, levied and collected in the municipality or municipalities comprising the district.
The board shall, in submitting to the voters at the annual school election the amount of money to be voted upon for the use of the public schools of the district for the ensuing school year, identify the percentage increase or decrease between the amount of money raised in the current school year and the amount to be raised for the ensuing school year.
(cf: P.L. 1999, c.346)
3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first be applicable to school district budgets proposed for the 2009-2010 school year.
STATEMENT
This bill requires that the question submitted to the voters at the annual school election on the amount of tax levy to be raised for the public schools of the district for the upcoming school year include information on the percentage increase or decrease between the tax levy raised for the public schools in the current school year and the amount proposed to be raised for the upcoming school year. Under current law, the question presented to the voters only identifies the total dollar amount of the tax levy proposed to be raised for the public schools in the next school year. The provision of information to voters on the percentage increase or decrease that the proposed tax levy represents will allow voters to make a more informed decision.
