Added Security Funds Look Likely In Chatham: Unofficial Results

CHATHAM, NJ — The 2023 unofficial general election votes are showing that the School District of the Chatham's two second questions are likely to pass, according to unofficial results.

Chatham voters were asked to spend a total of an additional $1.7 million to fund additional security and health benefits for paraprofessionals at the school district.

The results of the election do not become official until they are certified by the Morris County Clerk's office no later than Nov. 22.

Here are the unofficial tallies, as of 11:15 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the Morris County Clerk:

The First Proposal: Security

• Yes: 3,139
• No: 2,280

The Second Proposal: Paraprofessionals

• Yes: 3,179
• No: 2,244

Here is a breakdown of both proposals.

The below list reflects the costs of the two levies per year now that the two proposals have been passed:

• Chatham Borough:
  • Question 1: $11.40 / year
  • Question 2: $12.16 / year
  • Yes to both: $23.64 / year
• Chatham Township:
  • Question 1: $14.59 / year
  • Question 2: $15.45 / year
  • Yes to both: $30.04 / year

Since the School District of the Chathams is a regional school district, which essentially means that it is made up of more than one municipality, the mechanism used to apportion taxation is based on the equalized value of property in both municipalities.

The district's total value is calculated by aggregating the values of property in Chatham Borough and Chatham Township. The tax levy decided by the Board of Education is then allocated based on the proportion of the total value of each municipality.

“How the levy costs are split between the Borough and Township is based on equalized values provided by the County,” explained Peter Daquila, Business Administrator for the School District of Chathams.

These numbers are utilized since reassessments in the two towns are frequently out of sync.

This formula was devised when the regional school district was formed, and it is typical of how regional school districts share costs.