The three Hoboken charter schools okayed a resolution last week opposing all payment in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) until the 770 Jackson St. situation is resolved.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“We are alarmed at recent reports that the City of Hoboken is considering new Payment in Lieu of Taxes (‘PILOT’) programs. Traditional PILOTs harm public education, as they eliminate tax payments to the local tax levy that fund each of the four Hoboken public school districts,” the trustees of Elysian Charter School, Hoboken Charter School, and HoLa Charter School wrote Mayor Ravi Bhalla and the city council last week.
“The current funds designated for schools from the 770 Jackson PILOT remain undistributed, even though a legal path for sharing them has been confirmed by the State. As such, our school communities cannot support future PILOT developments without a collaborative resolution on how to mitigate the harm PILOTs cause to all of Hoboken’s public school students.”
The charters had been pushing to be included in the 770 Jackson St. PILOT revenue, which is about $243,000, though the board of education has said otherwise since the subject came to a head in October 2020.
The topic as seen little movement in recent months, though an email blast from Elysian Charter School Board Chair Chris DeFilippis points out two significant developments from 2021.
“In May 2021, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs approved a path to distribute these funds to all four of Hoboken’s public schools,” he noted.
“On October 6, 2021, the Hoboken City Council unanimously approved a resolution that the 770 Jackson Street PILOT funds should be equitably shared between the four public districts.”
Neither email specified the potential PILOT programs in the works, nor are any on tomorrow’s city council agenda.
A city spokeswoman did not return an inquiry seeking comment.