To the editor:
The township committee continues to present incomplete information to the taxpayers of Hillsborough regarding their negotiations with developers.
In two press releases about their recent lease agreement with Apex Land Associates, the township states that “one of the contemporary outdoor turf fields will provide 400 hours of reserved prime time for the Hillsborough Township Parks and Recreation Department.” Many people in town read that language to mean that those hours will be free of charge, especially since Apex is also receiving a large tax abatement from the township.
Well, a closer look at these “reserved” hours in the lease indicates that taxpayers will be paying handsomely for those hours, from $20,000 for the first year (or $50 per hour) rising to $87,500 for the sixth through twentieth year (or $218.75 per hour) and yes, a 20-year commitment! This was not mentioned in the ordinance language or the public hearing earlier this year for Apex.
I raise this issue for two reasons: first, facts matter. Taxpayers will be paying twice, once for the tax abatement and exemption that Apex will receive and again for the lease fees the township negotiated.
The second reason is that concurrently to this action, the township is threatening to evict the Board of Education offices from the taxpayer-funded municipal building, unless rental money is received from the board. I find it interesting they would take money that is used to educate our children and give money to a developer instead.
Since 1991, when the municipal building opened with the intention of housing all government offices for the convenience of the public, the district has occupied only 7,000 square feet of the 100,000 square foot building.
The township committee should stop looking for ways to grab funds from our schools while giving away tax revenue and rental fees to developers. And they really need to stop generating new costs for us taxpayers.
Meryl Bisberg
Hillsborough
