SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
SENATE, No. 2837
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: MARCH 11, 2024
The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports
favorably Senate Bill No. 2837.
This bill authorizes school districts without a board of school
estimate to submit to the voters of the district at a special school
election a separate proposal or proposals for permission to raise
additional funds for the subsequent school budget year beyond the
district’s authorized tax levy for that year.
Under current law, a school district may submit to the voters at the
annual school election, a separate question or proposal for permission
to raise additional funds for the budget year beyond the district’s
authorized tax levy. This bill would allow districts to submit proposals
to voters at a special school election to raise such additional funds for
the subsequent school budget year. Special school elections may
occur in January, March, September, and December. A separate
proposal or proposals may only be submitted on a date of a special
election once during a school year. Nothing in the bill is to be
construed to prohibit the submission to the voters of a question for the
approval of capital projects on the same special election date as the
submission of a separate proposal for additional funds.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) concludes that this bill
could result in a marginal expenditure increase to certain school
districts without boards of school estimate. The expenditure increase
would only be borne by districts that choose to submit to the voters of
the district at a special school election a separate proposal or proposals
for permission to raise additional funds for the subsequent school
budget year beyond the district’s authorized tax levy for that year.
The expenditure increase would be in connection with additional
school district spending to reimburse certain local government entities
for their upfront costs to conduct a special school election. These
reimbursements would represent revenue increases for these local
entities.
School districts that receive voter approval to raise additional
funds for the subsequent school budget year beyond their authorized
tax levy will experience an indeterminate revenue increase for that
year.