On Jan. 27, the Vernon Township Clerk rejected a citizen petition signed by over 2,300 residents. The reason? A legal technicality claiming that the 30-year PILOT agreement for Ordinance 25-17 is “exempt” from a public vote.
If the public is barred from voting on a deal that lasts three decades, then we must look at the math the town doesn’t want us to see. Our school district is currently facing a massive $1.3 million jump in health insurance costs. To cover it, the Board of Education is being forced to make “careful trade-offs” in the 2026-27 budget.
At the same time, the Township Council has signed a deal for the Omega Drive project that remits $0.00 to our schools. While the Town collects $3.7 million in “new cash,” the school district—which makes up the largest portion of our tax bill—is left to absorb the cost of new students and infrastructure with no help from the developer.
Trenton is already moving to fix this. Senate Bill S-1807, reported out of committee on Feb. 5, would mandate that towns share PILOT revenue with schools. Why is our council fighting to keep our schools underfunded before this law takes effect?
I urge the Board of Education to stop being a “silent partner” in its own defunding. On March 12, the Board must formally demand a “Special Project Agreement” from the Council. We cannot have a “Strategic Plan” for our schools if our tax base is being handed away behind closed doors.
Peg Distasi,
Former Vernon Councilman
