PILOT Survey Results

A short survey was conducted on whether PILOT tax payments received by the Township should be shared with the Holmdel school district.  Here are the results from the 145 responses to the survey.

Question 1:  Should the Holmdel Township Committee share a percentage of the tax revenue from PILOT programs with the school district?

Responses: 94% of the respondents say PILOT revenue should be shared with the school district.  4% said “No” and 2% said “Not Sure”.

Question 2: Holmdel Township collects about $7.5 million from the two Bell Works PILOT programs and may collect more from the Vonage redevelopment.  Normally, about 68% of conventional property taxes collected go to the school district, but it gets nothing from PILOT payments. How much of the total PILOT revenue should be shared with the school district?

Responses: 41.4% said more than 50% of the PILOT payments should be shared with the school district, 21.4% said 41% to 50% of the PILOT payments should be shared and 14.5% said 31% to 40% of the PILOT payments should be shared.

In other words, 62.8% said that at least 40% of the PILOT payments should be shared with the school district, while 77.3% said that at least 30% should be shared.

8.3% responded “Not sure”.

Question 3: Should there be a public question, known as a referendum, to let Holmdel residents decide whether there should be a sharing of PILOT revenue with the school district?

Responses: 89% said “Yes” to a public question to allow Holmdel residents to decide whether there should be a sharing of PILOT revenue with the school district, with 5.5% said “No” and 5.5% said “Not sure”.

The survey allowed comments by respondents.  Here are some of the relevant comments received.

1.      There should be a question about the vantage [Sic] (Vonage?) becoming a pilot so people can vote no. 

2.      Pilot programs are quick way to raise cash for a town slush fund. Schools need money.

3.      We moved here for the school system. The Pilot program needs to go away.

Revenue from PILOT programs being shared with the school district will help to retain outstanding staff and personnel, and continue to provide our children with enhanced educational opportunities. Many residents have moved to Holmdel for the school system and our property values continue to improve due to our district’s strong reputation, however, if proceeds from the PILOT programs aren’t shared with the school district we are going to continue to be faced with a budget deficit and critical resources and personnel will be cut. We need to do everything we can for our children and community.

4.      This is crazy !! What is the goal; avoid educating Holmdel’s children?? Lets use some common sense. The Schools need money!!

5.      Better schools are good for township and residents

6.      PILOT program deprives the school district of funding

7.      Pilot is crushing the school district & will have dramatic long term negative effects the longer there is no shared service between the TC & BOE

8.      The school funding should NEVER be sacrificed

9.      The township and towns people should come to a compromise on the Vonage property. IMO, as a compromise, the developer should be allowed to retrofit the existing building and only the existing building. There should be some sort of sewage treatment plant on site so that no medical waste makes it to the watershed. The township should give 60% of the PILOT revenue from the project to the school district OR no PILOT at all.

10.  At the very least, 50% of the PILOT money should go to the schools. My opinion is that the schools should receive close to the same percentage they would receive from regular property taxes. The point of the PILOT is to incentivize development by providing lower “tax” payments for the developer/builders/owners. The point is NOT to take from the schools and give to the township.

11.  The schools are why people move here. If they continue to lose ranking people will move to other hcol  [Sic] areas with either better schools or private schools.

12.  We are One Town and lets all row in same direction please and property taxes are out of control!! Anyone elected by the people for BOE or TC wants both parties to work together for the people who elected you!! Perfect Storm TC has slush fund from Bell works while school district is struggling and total BS if tax payers get screwed twice by raising our school tax when money available in Township account!! Figure it out and work together for the people!

13.  They shouldn't need a referendum to do the right thing.

14.  Help the school district, this should not be solely the tax payers responsibility

15.  What is the plan for the spending of the surplus if it does not go to the schools? What is the difference between the amount of money Holmdel receives from a pilot program and what the actual taxes would be if a pilot program does not exist. Vonage SHOULD NOT BE OFFERED a PILOT program. It appears that Vonage will offer nothing to improve Holmdel other then offer tax revenue.

16.  What oversight is there when the town is granting a pilot and how can citizens get to have a say?

17.  It’s completely unfair to the schools and the taxpayers that the pilot money is being taken away.