Lately there have been a number of commentaries criticizing the Millstone Board of Education regarding the school renovation and new middle school referendum. Much of the criticism focuses on the increased property taxes for the recently rejected $39 million referendum and the lack of information provided by the board. The board provided plenty of information for those willing to make an effort to obtain it firsthand rather than listening to rumor and gossip. Numerous public briefings were held, and project costs were presented and handed out in paper form. In addition, the project costs were posted on the school’s Web site.

I attended one of the briefings, which was very thorough. The room was filled to capacity, but that is not saying much since the room was small, no fault of the school board. We do not have a large auditorium in the township that can be used when large assemblies are required, such as budget briefings and Township Committee meetings. The Township Committee has never stepped up to its responsibility of constructing a municipal facility that would include a large auditorium that could be used for civic activities. The school administration has taken an unfair hit for taking a leadership position in civic responsibility by proposing an auditorium in the new middle school. Some township committeemen talk about "clean ratables" to offset residential property taxes. What are they smoking or inhaling? A tacky strip mall here and there is not going to do the job. Clean commercial ratables of at least $30 million in assessed value would be needed just to offset the property tax increase for the school referendum. This translates into a large commercial park, similar to those located along Route 1 or to industrial complexes similar to those in Freehold Borough. Where can that be put in Millstone? Even if such facilities could be erected, it would significantly change the character of Millstone. According to the rules of the Council On Affordable Housing, for every 30 jobs created in a community from commercial development, one affordable housing unit has to be provided. How many jobs would be provided by a $30 million commercial complex? Well, the ones that I am familiar with have capacities for thousands of employees. Millstone would have to make provisions for many hundreds of affordable housing units. That means high-density housing and sewers. Forget "clean commercial ratables," folks. It is political hyperbole. What Millstone needs is to control the rate of growth of new residential construction so it does not exceed the capacity of its municipal services and school system. Who is to blame for Millstone’s situation? The New Jersey Legislature, for one. They are the political body that retroactively imposes new mandates on school boards without adequate funding for communities to comply with their mandates. The amount of funding that the Legislature might provide for Millstone’s referendum is a fiscal fraud. So is the Legislature’s school funding formula. Blame the New Jersey Supreme Court for its ultra-liberal views that prevent communities from controlling their own zoning and way of life (Mount Laurel I and Mount Laurel II). Blame the past governors for making liberal appointments to the court.

I don’t look forward to paying extra school taxes. But I am not blaming the school board. I am lobbying aggressively with the legislative and executive branches of our state government for relief. I urge everyone to visit the Web site www.buildabetternj.org. Voice your opinions and get involved.

Gregory M. Cinque

Millstone