Schools
Freehold Regional High Schools' Referendum Fails By 890 Votes
The request to bond for $39.8 million was rejected with voter turnout of just 5.5 percent, according to Monmouth County figures.
Voters in the Freehold Regional High School District rejected a referendum that proposed spending $39.8 million on the district's buildings at a special election Tuesday.
According to unofficial tallies from the Monmouth County Clerk's Office, the referendum failed by a vote of 4,300 no votes to 3,411 in favor, a margin of 889 votes. Voter turnout for the special election was just 6 percent of the 10,191 voters registered in the eight towns — Howell, Farmingdale, Freehold, Freehold Township, Colts Neck, Marlboro, Manalapan and Englishtown — that comprise the district.
The district had proposed the bonds as the debt incurred 20 years ago to pay for the construction of Colts Neck High School is about to be paid in full and the bonds retired.
Find out what's happening in Freeholdfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In addition, the district said, it was anticipated the state would be paying for 30 percent of the project.
The voters' rejection of the referendum will result in a roughly 3 percent decrease in the tax levy. If the referendum had been approved, the levy still was expected to fall by 1 percent, the district said.
Find out what's happening in Freeholdfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The polls were open for four hours on Tuesday, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Here's breakdown by town on the voting:
| Town | Registered Voters | Yes Votes | No Votes | Total votes (% turnout) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howell | 38,025 | 614 | 1,008 | 1,622 (4.3%) |
| Farmingdale | 1,032 | 28 | 37 | 65 (6.3%) |
| Freehold | 5,507 | 124 | 105 | 229 (4.2%) |
| Freehold Township | 25,841 | 626 | 687 | 1,313 (5.1%) |
| Colts Neck | 8,035 | 598 | 843 | 1,441 (17.9%) |
| Marlboro | 29,932 | 681 | 666 | 1,347 (4.5%) |
| Manalapan | 30,416 | 718 | 927 | 1,645 (5.4%) |
| Englishtown | 1,403 | 18 | 23 | 41 (2.9%) |
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