Township Committee introduces $9.7M bond ordinance

The Township Committee voted 4-1 to introduce a $9.7 million bond ordinance at a special meeting Aug. 1.

Committeeman Harvey Roseff voted no.

The bond ordinance would finance construction of new municipal and police buildings.

A public hearing and final vote on the bond ordinance will be at the committee’s meeting Aug. 15.

Committee members also approved the wording of a binding referendum to be on the Nov. 7 ballot. It asks voters to vote yes or no on the bond ordinance.

The cost to the owner of an average home in Byram was estimated at about $169 a year starting in the third or fourth year of the bond issue. Taxes would not necessarily increase by that amount because they depend on a variety of factors, Township Manager Joseph Sabatini said.

The township’s overall debt is expected to drop drastically to near zero in the next couple of years, he noted.

At the committee’s meeting July 18, Sabatini explained that the bond ordinance merely gives the township the ability to issue bonds if the project is approved by the voters.

Byram set aside $550,000 in capital improvement funds as a down payment for the project in 2016.

According to the proposed bond ordinance, the township intends to demolish the existing municipal building and construct new municipal and police buildings at 10 Mansfield Drive.

The buildings would be one story and the total size of both would be about 17,102 square feet. They would house offices, public meeting rooms, storage facilities and police facilities.

The public is expected to have access to a large meeting room, a conference room and restrooms after business hours with permission of officials.

The tennis courts would remain, although they would be closed during construction. Officials said the tennis courts are likely to be renovated in a separate project after the new buildings are finished.

MJA Construction Services of Mine Hill estimated the total construction cost at about $8.2 million.

Other fees, such as for the architect, design, construction management, security, lawyers and insurance, would bring the total to slightly less than $9.7 million. That includes a construction contingency of $725,000.