Shamong voters reject $25 million bond referendum; Mantua question too close to call
The school bond referendum was defeated handily in Burlington County. Results of a similar referendum in Mantua Township were too close to call.
Voters in Shamong handily rejected a $25 million school bond question that would have raised property taxes, while a referendum in Mantua was too close to call, officials said Wednesday.
Shamong voters rejected the bond question 797-271, according to unofficial results from Tuesday’s election in the Burlington County school system.
If approved, the bond issue would have meant a $408 annual property tax increase on a home assessed at the township average of $309,500.
The district had said funding was needed for projects at the Indian Mills and Indian Mills Memorial schools that need immediate action. They included roofing and HVAC work.
Superintendent Mayreni Fermin-Cannon did not respond to a message seeking comment on next steps for the district.
Shamong Mayor Michael Di Croce, who tried unsuccessfully to block Tuesday’s election, hailed the results. Shamong residents make up 90% of the town’s tax base and could not afford an increase, he said.
Di Croce, an attorney, filed a complaint last week on behalf of several residents that contended school officials provided incorrect or misleading information about state funding for the project.
The complaint also alleged the district has refused to disclose why it could not earmark $4 million in capital reserves for renovations prior to seeking a bond referendum.
At a hearing Monday, Superior Court Judge John E. Harrington refused to invalidate the referendum.
“I’m very happy with the way things played out,” Di Croce said Wednesday. “Their whole sky is falling just was not credible and voters didn’t buy it.”
Mantua results too close to call
Meanwhile, the outcome of Tuesday’s vote in Mantua Township on a $39.1 million school bond referendum was too close to call Wednesday.
In preliminary results, there were 1,097 votes opposed and 1,074 votes in favor, the Gloucester County district said. The totals are expected to change over the next few days as officials count mail ballots and verify provisional ballots.
“Regardless of the result, our mission remains the same — to prepare our students for lifelong success through comprehensive academics, community partnerships, and character education,” Superintendent Christine Trampe said in a statement.
The bond issue would fund improvements at all three schools in the kindergarten-through-sixth-grade district, including renovations, roof repairs, and new classrooms.
Trampe called the renovations “true necessities.” Without the funding, the district may need to cut programs, she said.
If approved, the bond issue would increase property taxes about $336 annually on a home assessed at the township average of $311,993.
Elsewhere in the region, voters in Woodbine in Cape May County and Cumberland Regional district in Cumberland County approved bond questions, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association.
Tuesday was one of five times during the year that school boards may ask voters to approve a bond issue or special question. Bond referendums allow districts to pay for projects that cannot readily be funded through their annual operating budget.