HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Thursday is the day when the public will weigh in on a proposed 2 percent tax levy increase in the 2026-27 school budget before the Board of Education(BOE) casts its final vote.
The budget was introduced at the March 23 meeting.
The introduced budget breaks down so that the average home property in Hillsborough Township, valued at $628,012, will pay $9,638.10 in 2026 or an annual increase of $993.51.
The average home property in Millstone valued at $473,006 will pay $6,527.96 in 2024 or an annual increase of of $1,559.12.
However, the 2 percent increase has been up for debate since the introduction.
Discussions have since centered on whether the board should stick with the proposed 2 percent levy or consider a lower or zero percent increase.
Some board members were hesitant on the increase since last year, the BOE voted to take advantage of the state's Tax Incentive Aid option and approve the increase of the local tax levy by up to $22.9 million.
For the 2025-26 school budget, the approval meant that the average house in Hillsborough, valued at $594,089, saw a tax increase to $8,645. The average house in Millstone, valued at $409,598, saw a tax increase to $4,969 for the 2025-26 school year.
At the April 13 BOE meeting, there was discussion in favor of the 2 percent increase and against it.
"Enough is enough in terms of if the answer is to raise taxes every time the state decides to unfairly go after towns like Hillsborough. Then you really are going to push more and more people out of this town, out of this state," said resident Thomas Zobelli.
"Quite frankly, I'm kind of astonished that every time I turn around, it's like the only solution we seem to have is, well, we'll raise taxes," said Zobelli, who suggested sending the matter to a voter referendum.
Hillsborough Education Association President Henry Goodhue urged the board to protect student programs and staffing.
"We have the opportunity to fund responsibly. Every single person in here, whether you're a parent, an educator, a board member, whoever, we have a responsibility to help these students thrive. And if we flatten a budget, we are not meeting that responsibility," said Goodhue.
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