Toms River Schools Referendum: When, What, Where

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Voters in the four towns making up the Toms River Regional School District will be heading to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots on the proposal to spend $147 million on repairs and upgrades throughout the district.

Here are the basics about the election:

POLLS: Voting is from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the four towns — Beachwood, Pine Beach, South Toms River and Toms River.

POLLING PLACES: Most polling places are at the same ones used for the general election. One polling place in Toms River was moved at the last minute by the Ocean County Board of Elections on Friday after a church normally used for voting could not accommodate the election for reasons that have not been made public. that are not known. The Ocean County Clerk's office published a list of polling places for the election but it does not include the change that occurred Friday. You can call the Board of Elections at 732-929-2167 to check on your polling place.

WHAT: The Toms River Regional Schools are proposing to bond for $147 million in repairs and upgrades in the district's schools, maintenance building, the John J. Bennett Athletic Center bubble, the Central Registration Complex and its vehicle maintenance compound.

Of that amount, the state Department of Education will pay more than $47 million, covering a percentage of the projects at each of the schools. (The state says it's 40 percent, but Business Administrator William Doering has said it works out to about 32 percent.)

THE TAX IMPACT: In Toms River, the additional debt service would cost taxpayers $11.80 per month, or $141.65 per year, for a home assessed at the township average of $272,400. In Pine Beach, on an average assessment of $267,900, it would cost $11.06 or $132.72, and in South Toms River, the cost would be $6.04 per month, or $72.52 per year, on a home assessed at $165,200. For Beachwood taxpayers, it would cost $8.06 per month or $96.75 per year on the $203,600 average assessment.

You can see how much it would cost you based on your home assessment in your town on the tax calculator on the district's website.

HOW CAN THE MONEY BE SPENT? By law, funds allocated for specific projects must be spent on those projects. The district cannot take money designated for roof work and buy computers, for instance.

WHAT IF THE PROPOSAL IS REJECTED? The repairs that are needed won't go away. They will get more expensive. Issues of leaking roofs will lead to more serious damage to the buildings, which range from 15 years old (Toms River Intermdiate South) to nearly 70 years old (Toms River High School South). The costs to repair those issues will increase, and the district will lose the state's share of the funding — meaning Toms River district taxpayers will bear the entire burden.

READ MORE:

• Toms River Schools Referendum: A School-By-School Guide
• Toms River Schools Referendum: A Student Speaks Up
• 'If Not Now, When?' TR Referendum Targets Critical School Repairs
• Todd Frazier, TR Teachers Union Chief Urge Passage Of Referendum
• Toms River Schools' Project Is Critically Needed Now: OPINION

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Photo by Toms River Schools