Judge Rules in Favor Of Tinton Falls Voter
By ELAINE VAN DEVELDE
What a difference a vote made when it came to two different schools budgets in Tinton Falls.
In one instance, after battling a contested tie vote in the K-8 schools budget, Superior Court Judge Alexander Lehrer, a few days ago, ruled that a tie-breaking absentee ballot vote that the county Board of Elections dubbed invalid should count.
That vote was, ironically, cast by Tinton Falls Board of Education President Peter Karavites wife, Barbara. County officials had originally ruled that her vote should not count because her signature did not match the one on record. Karavites appealed that ruling, citing that every vote should count, and she won.
Its funny how literal that every vote counts phrase can be, said Mayor Peter Maclearie in a separate interview. I remember rushing to the polls that night and making it in by the skin of my teeth as the poll workers were actually packing up.
Really, if I hadnt made sure I got there, it could have been my missing vote that would have gotten the budget rejected.
Instead, it was the win of the recent appeal which meant that Karavites yes vote would break the standing 525-525 tie vote on the K-8 $26 million budget with a tax levy of $16.6 million, meaning that the Borough Council would not have to vote to make any cuts to the budget which supports the education of Tinton Falls and Shrewsbury Township students.
Shrewsbury voters rejected the budget at the polls, which calls for an 11.4-cent per $100 of assessed property value hike in taxes; and, Tinton Falls voters sanctioned the spending plan, which gives them a slight decrease in taxes.
But the situation with the Monmouth Regional High School budget was a different one in which one vote also made a difference in a different way.
That budget, which supports the education of students in Eatontown, Shrewsbury and Tinton Falls, was clearly rejected at the polls with 890 no votes and 699 yes.
At Tuesday nights council meeting, the council voted 2-1 to cut $125,000 from the roughly $18 million tax levy to support the $26 million high school budget in order to honor the voice of the public.
Council President Therese Cahill and Councilman Paul Ford were both absent. It was Councilman Brendan Tobin who cast the lone no vote on the $125,000 worth of cuts, citing that they would not make enough of a difference in tax bills to compromise students education.
Despite Tobins vote, though, the cuts carried and a resolution backing them was passed. The cuts recommended by school officials and agreed on by council were some courtesy busing and the elimination of some administrative/supervisory positions with retirements.
Tobin frowned on the entire process, which dictates that once a schools budget is rejected at the polls, it must go to the governing body in the respective towns for cuts. Those sanctioned cuts are then submitted to the county and then the state for final approval.
Tobin said he just really (didnt) like the way this was done,” calling it punitive to students for the sake of appeasing some voters.
With the original budget, Tinton Falls residents would have seen a one-cent hike per $100 of assessed property value in their 2006-07 bills. Eatontown residents would have seen no difference and Shrewsbury residents would have seen a decrease of 15 cents per $100.
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