Ramsey April 4, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 9 On Tuesday, April 17, registered voters in the Borough of Ramsey will have the opportunity to cast their ballots on the $47,541,824 tax levy associated with the school district’s proposed $56,472,755 budget for 2012-13. They will also choose their representatives to the board of education. Polls will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Voters are reminded that the borough now has two new voting districts, and many residents will be casting their ballots in new locations for the first time. All are urged to check their sample ballots to ensure that they will report to the correct polling location. The proposed tax levy will increase school taxes by $83 for the owner of a property assessed at the borough’s average of $427,200. In order to compute the tax increase, property owners are advised to multiply each $100,000 of assessed value by 19.45. According to the budget newsletter, the annual school tax rate is determined based on a calendar year, and represents a blend of the January through June rate from the current school budget and the July through December rate from the proposed budget. Budget decision due; many to vote in new districts “The proposed budget will result in a raw tax increase of 1.16 percent based on the school fiscal calendar, and a 2012 tax year increase of 1.13 percent,” the document states. This increase does not include property taxes that must be paid to support the municipal government or Bergen County. The budget’s total general current expense figure is $51,479,905, and includes $17,309,721 for instruction, $4,143,144 for special education, $2,750,745 for tuition, $1,225,082 for guidance, $1,436,482 for the child study teams, $1,302,154 for educational media services – school library, $1,154,041 for general administration, and $1,994,903 for school administration. The spending plan also includes $4,529,165 for operation and maintenance of plant, $1,774,437 for student transportation, and $9,245,745 for employee benefits. Special revenue from state and federal sources will total $1,153,357, and debt service will total $2,548,942. This year, the district anticipates $1,640,576 in state aid, up from $874,070 last year. “The proposed budget achieves our community’s primary objectives of providing excellent academic and extracurricular programs for our students and fiscal prudence and cost containment,” the district’s newsletter states. “These objectives will be accomplished within this budget while being below the two percent tax levy increase limit imposed by New Jersey.” The newsletter also notes that the district is planning to replace outdated textbooks and update its technology, two areas that had been cut in prior years. The Borough of Ramsey recently gained two new voting districts as a result of the 2010 census. The survey indicated that the borough was out of compliance with Title 19, a state law that requires that no more than 1,500 voters cast their ballots in any given district. A borough official previously noted that new construction, which included condominium communities, increased population density and pushed district totals over the 1,500 voter limit. Ramsey previously had six voting districts. The new configuration includes a total of eight districts. District 2, which is located in the northwest portion of Ramsey near the Mahwah border, has been divided into two sections, Polling locations updated one of which is the new District 8. District 7, which is located near the borders of Upper Saddle River and Allendale, was carved out of Districts 4 and 6. The school district’s budget newsletter includes the following polling locations that will take effect beginning April 17: District 1, Wesley D. Tisdale School, 200 Island Avenue; District 2, Eric S. Smith School, 73 Monroe Street; District 3, John Y. Dater School, 35 School Street; District 4, Ramsey High School, 256 East Main Street; District 5, Mary A. Hubbard School, 10 Hubbard Lane (use West Oak Street entrance); District 6, Tisdale School; District 7, Ramsey High School; and District 8, Dater School.