A Plan To Support Chatham Schools & Township Taxpayers

Thank you paying attention to the issues in the Chathams and my campaign for Re-Election to Chatham Township Committee so far this year. You have probably seen my signs about “handouts” for high density development.

To be clear, high density handouts that hurt schools and taxpayers must end.

Our community cannot continue to develop high density high rises in the Chathams and certainly not with municipal handouts. The handouts are legal tax loopholes designed originally for blighted communities. The use of these loopholes allow high density developers to avoid paying property tax which support our schools. Instead the burden of funding is ultimately shifted to other Township taxpayers. These handouts are also linked to special rules that allow the developer to build outside of the previous regular zoning and at much higher density. The result is overdevelopment, congestion and strain on our infrastructure and schools. One of the handouts given to high density projects in the Chathams are called Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs) .

PILOTs allow the development to pay far less than they would otherwise owe in property tax and none of the money paid is required to go to our public schools. Usually 65-70% of most homeowner’s property tax fund our Chatham Schools. PILOTs projects such as “The Ivy” on River Road not only increase density, strain services and contribute to congestion, but also pay nothing toward the schools. It is fundamentally unreasonable that the family with only pre-K and younger children, or the empty nester and retirees fund our schools but not new high density building. Six story buildings are erected on land previously not even zoned residential and at density more than triple found elsewhere in our community. These large development PILOT arrangements are under no requirement at all to contribute to our Chatham Schools. Instead the burden to fund the schools, the majority of your tax bill, falls to other property owners. It is a bad deal for taxpayers and terrible for our schools.

Schools must be supported adequately including by the largest high density developments. Our Township Committee must end the use of PILOT agreements when they pay nothing to our schools if those developments include market rate units. We should enter into an agreement with the Board of Education that, contingent on Chatham Borough doing the same, all future PILOT agreements that have market rate units must include a revenue share to schools equal to that contribution made by the average single family home property taxpayer. If 65-70% of your property taxes are used to fund our schools then any development of high density housing in the Chathams should be contributing at least the same. Our school system is shared. The Township and Borough must have a shared approach to PILOTs in an agreement with the Board of Education so that one town is not leaning on the taxpayers of another town to pay for our shared school system.


In my next statement, I will be discussing my opposition to the demolition of our Chatham Township Police station. Unbelievably, my opponent supports demolishing the Chatham Police station and spending tens of millions to build a new police station and municipal complex. If you would like a preview of that statement, please go to my webpage: https://www.chathamnjgop.com/chathamtownship


Re-Elect Mark Lois For Chatham Township Committee

https://www.chathamnjgop.com/chathamtownship

Other statements in Mark Lois’ Re-Election Campaign:

Mark Lois Invites You by Video
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/chatham/categories/candidate-statements/articles/mark-lois-invites-you-by-video

Mark Lois Announces Candidate Town Hall Despite Craig Alperowitz's 21 Refusals To Debate
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/chatham/articles/mark-lois-announces-candidate-town-hall-despite-craig-alperowitz-s-21-refusals-to-debate

Chatham Democrat Craig Alperowitz Refuses 21 Debates & Offers No Resolutionhttps://www.tapinto.net/towns/chatham/categories/candidate-statements/articles/chatham-democrat-craig-alperowitz-refuses-21-debates-offers-no-resolution

10 More Chances Makes 21 - Will My Opponent Commit To Any Debate?
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/chatham/categories/candidate-statements/articles/10-more-chances-makes-21-will-my-opponent-commit-to-any-debate-58c46b36-bed0-4812-bec1-a27990a412ce

Get To Know Chatham Township Committeeman Mark Lois:

Speaking At The Library of The Chathams: Mark Lois, Chatham Township Committee member, handed out quarters as a lead-in to his remarks on diversity at the Library of the Chathams.
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/chatham/sections/arts-and-entertainment/articles/library-of-the-chathams-kicks-off-national-library-week-with-coming-out-of-the-dark-ages-event-to-celebrate-diversity

2021 Article Flashback: Mark Lois Chatham Township Committee Candidate
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/chatham/articles/mark-lois-chatham-township-committee-candidate-c96710c6-df7c-4a59-b75f-d3bfff3127bc

2021 Opinion Letter Flashback: Mark Lois Clearly Won Chatham Township Debate
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/chatham/categories/letters-to-the-editor/articles/mark-lois-clearly-won-chatham-township-debate

2021 Letter of Support: Mark Lois: Volunteer, Dad and Friend To Chatham Township
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/chatham/articles/mark-lois-volunteer-dad-and-friend-to-chatham-township


Would you like to support or contact Mark Lois?

Request a yard sign now to be delivered and setup for you:
https://www.chathamnjgop.com/connect

Send in a message to Mark:
https://www.chathamnjgop.com/connect