HILLSDALE—Hillsdale Public Schools Superintendent Robert Lombardy told about three dozen senior residents at a May 26 public forum that using the state’s property tax “senior freeze” program was one way they might limit their local tax bite should local voters approve an $82.5 million referendum to replace the century-old George G. White Middle School.
However, school trustees must still vote officially at their June 13 meeting to determine which of four options, ranging in price from $25 million, $52 million, $60 million and $82.5 million, that they will put before voters in a March 2023 referendum.
At the May 9 board meeting, most trustees generally voiced support for a full replacement of the aging, outdated middle school.
Approximately 35 senior residents, members of Hillsdale’s 50- Plus Club, attended a May 26 midday forum at Hillsdale’s United Methodist Church, joined by school trustee Nicole Klas, middle school principal Don Bergamini, Mayor John Ruocco, and four eighth graders who provided brief perspectives on why the school needs replacing.
Although Lombardy suggested the senior freeze was an option to help seniors limit future property tax increases, it was unclear how many 65-year-old-plus seniors qualify for the program — which freezes property taxes for seniors who make below a certain yearly income level — currently about $94,000 annually.
However, seniors still must pay the increased total annual tax bill and submit the bill to the senior freeze program for reimbursement of the tax price difference.
Lombardy noted that the freeze program’s annual income limit increases about 2% a year, meaning by mid-2024 the limit should be up another 4% before tax increases hit in the 2024–2025 budget year.
Most seniors who spoke appeared to oppose any tax increases, whether or not a senior freeze applied to them or not. Some said that a large tax increase, estimated at $1,300 annually for 20 years if the $82.5 million referendum is approved, would make it harder for them to stay in town and possibly harder for them to sell their homes when they decided to leave.
Lombardy noted should voters approve bonding for a new middle school replacement, the bonding would not occur for a year or more into the future, probably mid-2024, which means that tax increases would likely appear in 2024-2025 school taxes.
Some seniors said that the George G. White school should be renovated to save taxpayer dollars while others charged that past school administrations and school boards had not properly maintained the middle school, thus causing its current problems.
However, Lombardy said that while maintenance may have been delayed, noting “the can has been kicked down the road” for years on maintenance and upgrades, he said “even doing nothing comes with a cost” for a 100-year-old school.
During a presentation, he showed pictures of deteriorating ventilation systems, blown electrical outlets, cracked locker room tiles, rotting galvanized pipes, aged and discolored sinks/faucets, and broken bleachers, old boys’ and girls toilet rooms, an asbestos-lined mechanical area, and a boiler “on life support.”
He said the classrooms are undersized for students and current learning needs.
He said other constraints include the number of classrooms, lack of science labs, no space for music class, outdated television production studio, undersized student lockers, no common gathering space, a small nurse’s office, lack of room for school counselors, lack of parking for staff and visitors, no dedicated drop-off zones for parents or buses, a small cafeteria set-up for nearly 500 students and staff, and a need for new windows, new doors and a new roof.
Lombardy said should the $82.5 million school replacement referendum be approved when it is held in March 2023, the average homeowner would pay about $1,300 more in yearly taxes, which would not be supplemented by any state aid. He said the state’s school construction program generally reimburses a portion of a fixed cost per-square-foot for renovations.
However, he said, new school construction costs are not reimbursed by the state.
When one resident questioned why not renovate rather than replace the building to secure state construction aid, Lombardy said on any renovation project, the state only reimburses 35% of a set per-square-foot cost, which he said was now $138.
Previously, Lombardy said that the architect based the new middle school construction estimated cost at about $450 per square foot. However, it was unclear what cost-per-square-foot renovations were based on. “All of the options are expensive,” Lombardy said at one point.
Lombardy went through a detailed explanation of the four options, three for onsite renovations and one complete replacement. The onsite renovation options start at $25 million, which includes renovation to the existing middle school with no additions; $52 million to renovate and add on and use the current gym; and $60 million to renovate, add on classrooms and include a larger gymnasium in the current facility.
Annual average taxpayer costs for the proposed renovations’ bonding break out as follows: $25 million will cost $408 yearly or $24 monthly; $52 million will cost $845 yearly or $60 per month; and $60 million will cost $937, or about $70 per month, Lombardy said.
However, he stressed that all three renovation options would require classrooms to be housed for 18 to 24 months in modular trailer units across from the existing middle school, with estimated costs “just under $4 million.”
He said moving classes into trailers would be a large undertaking and “significantly impacting and disrupting the student experience.”
Lombardy noted that a demographics study projecting future student population showed the middle school down by 15 students about five years from now.
However, it also projected that 59 more students would be in local elementary schools, on their way to middle school, he said.
He also noted that “no new development” had been accounted for in the student population projections, which included a possible 250-unit, four-story luxury apartment complex under discussion for the Patterson Street redevelopment zone, or other possible downtown revitalization efforts that may include housing.
Lorraine Thalmann of Liberty Road said the estimated $1,300 annual tax increase is “going to affect everyone in town” except “a handful of seniors” who participate in the senior freeze program. She noted “other taxes come into play” for local tax bills that drive up property taxes such as municipal taxes and regional high school taxes.
She estimated that instead of $1,300 annually, taxes may increase $1,500 to $2,000, and though the borough will have a new middle school, people will not be able to afford living in or moving to Hillsdale due to high taxes.
She said high taxes may also affect property values. She also noted increased runoff from added impervious coverage with the new middle school could affect nearby properties. She said building a new school will not permit the field to be used for recreation and criticized the use of artificial turf planned for a new field at the former school’s site.
She said she did not believe the middle school would see a student increase but only the regional Pascack Valley high school that serves Hillsdale and River Vale.
Lombardy said no other sites besides the district-owned lot across from the middle school were considered as a location for a new school. Another resident noted taxes “shot up” when a previous school bond was approved, adding she was not eligible for a senior tax freeze.
Trustee Nicole Klas said that there were “no more Band-Aids” that could be applied at the middle school. She said she had two kids in the system, one a senior and one in eighth grade, and she will be hit with a future tax increase for a middle school replacement.
She said “there’s only so much that can be done to the original school building” noting that “the kids can’t be going to school in a museum” citing the 100-year-old structure’s age and condition.
“If this doesn’t happen this year, something’s got to give,” she said, noting taxes are not going down. Klas said she “greatly encouraged” residents to visit the middle school, which she called an “embarrassment” compared to other middle schools.
She and Thalmann disagreed over whether an increased tax bump for 25 years would help the town.
Lombardy said his hometown’s residents recently turned down a school referendum and trying to cope with it has been difficult, noting he was “furious” voters turned it down. He said residents must decide what type of schools and school system they want.
“I understand it comes with a cost. I get it, but everything we do in every (part) of our life does come with a cost. And what you have to do as an individual is decide. Do I want to make that investment in the schools in the town where I live? And I can’t answer that question for you. That’s completely up to you,” Lombardy said.
Resident Gordon Hampton said that an underground aquifer was on the lot chosen as a potential site. Lombardy said the new school will be built on a slab with no basement but that engineers did not find an aquifer where the planned school will be built. Hampton said building on the site “would definitely be a problem” for nearby homeowners.
Lombardy said no funds have been used for middle school maintenance projects due to the large expense needed to do major upgrades there. When one resident questioned why more maintenance wasn’t done at the middle school by past boards, Lombardy said other priorities and challenges got in the way.
“Should somebody have done this presentation 15 years ago? Yeah, probably, but I can’t change that,” he said.
Lombardy said “a contingency” is built into the construction cost estimates provided by the architect on the four options, allowing for funding for potential obstacles such as soil contamination, asbestos removal, lead paint, or other unknowns that may occur during planned renovations or replacement of the structure.