Monmouth Regional High School Bond Proposal Referendum On Ballot

Included on Tuesday’s election ballot in Tinton Falls, Eatontown and Shrewsbury Township will be a question for voters to decide whether they approve of the issuing of bonds “to undertake various improvements, alterations, renovations and upgrades to Monmouth Regional High School”. (Refer to your sample ballot for a full explanation). Referendums of this type are frequently used by school districts to finance capital expenditures for upgrades/repairs to buildings and grounds of their facilities.

I attended a one-hour public presentation of the Referendum at the school on October 27. Link to the entire presentation by Business Administrator Maria Parry is at:

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Referendum 2022 / Referendum 2022 Information (monmouthregional.net)

During her presentation, BA Parry explained that

• There would be Minimal Impact For Taxpayers-Debt Service taxes are expected to decline for the first three years of payback of the bonds. After three years, the debt service tax impact should be minimal due to aid available on the bonds from the State. Also, payment for a prior bond is near completion.
• Many of the proposed projects are eligible for a 40% Debt Service aide from the State of New Jersey. Some of those projects include:

Replacement of several HVAC Systems which are at the end of their useful life.

New Backup Generator to replace a 60-year-old unit with limited output capacity that does not come close to meeting the Districts current needs.

Replacement of Electrical Panels that are at the end of their service life.

Renovation of Home Economics Classroom.

Repaving of Back Access Road and Parking Lot.

Renovation of Student Bathrooms which includes the removal of contained Asbestos. Repainting of Exposed Exterior Structures.

Parry noted that if the above projects were do be done piece-meal, they would likely have a higher cost and there would be no 40% contribution from the State which would lead to greater taxpayer burden.

Other proposed projects include Lights for the Stadium, Front Fields as well as the Back Parking Lot which is essential for safety reasons.

Additional information including a listing of all projects can also be found in the REGIONAL REPORTER at the above link.

Monmouth Regional High School (MRHS) educates public school students in grades 9-12 from Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Shrewsbury Township. There are roughly 900 students attending the school at present.