Home Care In Holmdel, NJ

The Township paints an incomplete picture

At the Holmdel Township Committee meeting last night, the tax assessor’s presentation on the proposed Vonage PILOT sounded reassuring. Residents were told that if the Vonage property comes off the regular tax rolls, there would be “no impact” on the school budget: the schools now get about $240,000 a year from that property, and homeowners would simply make that up through a small increase in their school?tax bill. The mayor even suggested the township would contribute $245,000 a year for 30 years.

When a resident asked what the fully built?out Vonage site could generate in normal property taxes, the assessor acknowledged it could be close to $3 million a year. Under Holmdel’s current tax structure, roughly 68% of a typical property?tax bill goes to the school district, so in a conventional (non?PILOT) world about $2 million of that $3 million would support Holmdel’s schools every year. That long?term school revenue — not the current $240,000 — is what’s missing from the story.

Holmdel has lived this movie before at Bell Works. When Bell Labs was fully occupied, it contributed roughly $4–4.5 million a year in property taxes and made up close to 20% of the town’s tax base. After the building emptied out and tax appeals were filed, the bill collapsed to roughly $500,000 by 2010 and the site was put into a long?term PILOT as Bell Works.

That lost $4–4.5 million in regular property taxes was never fully shifted onto residents. To replace the schools’ roughly $2.7–3.1 million share in a single year, the district would have needed a levy increase well above 5–6%, far beyond New Jersey’s 2% levy?growth cap, which can only be exceeded with voter approval in a referendum. Instead, Holmdel schools absorbed the loss over time through a mix of cuts, slow growth, state aid and stop?gap measures, while the Township today gets roughly $7.5 million per year from Bell Works PILOTs, none of which automatically goes to the school district.

The current school budget shows why this matters for Vonage. For 2025–26, the budget lists a general?fund operating budget of $72,039,105 and a general?fund school tax levy of $65,317,943, with the remaining $6.72 million coming from state aid and other revenues.

New Jersey’s 2% cap applies only to that adjusted tax levy — the amount raised from regular school property taxes, excluding debt service. It does not cap state aid, miscellaneous local revenues or PILOT revenue shared by the Township with the schools. That is why PILOT sharing is so powerful: it brings in new school dollars outside the 2% levy cap.

To see the impact, assume school costs (salaries, benefits, contracts, services) grow 4% per year, while the levy is allowed to grow only 2% a year unless voters approve more in a referendum. Other non?levy revenues stay flat. Holmdel currently receives about $7.5 million per year from Bell Works PILOTs. If the Township shared 40% of that with the schools, the district would gain an additional $3 million per year in non?levy revenue.

Starting from the actual 2025–26 budget and levy, the math looks like this: with no PILOT sharing, the 2026–27 budget rises to about $74.9 million. With other revenues flat at $6.7 million, the district would need a levy of roughly $68.2 million to balance — about $1.6 million above the 2% cap path of $66.6 million. By 2027–28, the gap grows to roughly $3.2 million. Without PILOT sharing, Holmdel is driven toward deep cuts or a school?tax referendum.

With a 40% PILOT share, that $3 million in non?levy income changes the picture. In 2026–27, the district could cover the same 4% cost growth with a levy of about $65.2 million — roughly $1.4 million below the 2% cap. The first year the levy would creep just above the cap is 2027–28, and then only by about $0.2 million. Instead of facing referendum pressure immediately, Holmdel could delay it until 2027–28, with a much smaller gap to solve.

Lawmakers in Trenton have started to recognize this exact problem. Senate Bill S?3915 and its Assembly companion A?1107 would require municipalities to share certain PILOT payments with school districts or, alternatively, fund special projects for those districts. The bill sponsors’ own summary are explicit about the motivation: PILOT agreements can help local redevelopment, but they often deprive school districts of the property?tax revenue they would normally receive. These bills are a clear acknowledgment that, without sharing, PILOTs can quietly drain school finances even as they grow a town’s tax?exempt ratables.

This is why the tax?assessor’s presentation on Vonage is incomplete. It focused on a narrow question: “How do we backfill the current $240,000 the schools get?” By framing it that way, the presentation ignored three critical realities: first, the real opportunity is the fully built?out tax base — where Vonage could generate close to $3 million in regular taxes and roughly $2 million for schools each year; second, the 2% levy cap makes “just raise taxes” unrealistic, because only $65.3 million of Holmdel’s $72.0 million budget currently comes from the levy; and third, PILOT revenue is outside the cap, so sharing it is one of the few tools that can stabilize the school budget without triggering a referendum or pushing resident taxes beyond the cap.

Holmdel stands at a fork in the road. One path continues the Bell Works pattern: big commercial properties move into long?term PILOTs, the Township keeps nearly all the revenue, and the schools are left to manage growing deficits under a hard 2% levy cap — inevitably leading to program cuts or tax?hike referenda. The other path uses PILOT sharing — on Bell Works today and on Vonage going forward — to protect school finances without blowing up resident tax bills. That is the piece missing from the assessor’s slides, and it is why the structure of the Vonage PILOT, and the sharing of all PILOT revenues, deserves a much deeper public discussion before any vote is taken.

We urge residents to sign this petition to stop the township from approving another PILOT that takes money away from the schools.

Prakash Santhana

Former Holmdel Deputy Mayor

This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Petition to urge the township to share a substantial portion of the PILOT revenues with our schools

Tomorrow, Tuesday, December 9, 2025, the Holmdel Township Committee is scheduled to introduce Ordinance 2025?30, which would approve a long?term tax?exemption and Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreements for the redevelopment of the former Vonage headquarters at 23 Main Street (Block 13, Lot 15). “Vonage Redevelopment” is also on the agenda for closed?session discussion that night.

Right now, the Vonage property is taxed normally:

Under a long?term PILOT, the property would no longer pay regular school, municipal and county taxes. Instead, the developer would pay a negotiated annual “service charge,” of which Holmdel keeps 95%, 5% goes to Monmouth County, and the schools receive nothing unless a separate sharing agreement is created.

If the Vonage site moves into a PILOT without any revenue?sharing, the district would lose roughly $240,000 per year it currently receives from that property, at the same time it is facing multimillion?dollar budget gaps.

Schools: Deficits, Cuts and Contract Strain

Recent public figures show the school district under significant financial pressure:

The district has warned that closing the gap could involve eliminating positions and considering outsourcing for paraprofessionals, secretaries and custodial staff—changes that have already prompted large turnouts at board meetings and visible concern from teachers and families.

Township Finances, PILOT Revenues and Rising Property Taxes

While the schools are talking about cuts, the municipal side has benefited heavily from existing PILOTs at Bell Works and Regency:

At the same time, residential property?tax bills have been rising, and a large share of those taxes goes to schools:

Some residents worry that, if the school deficit is not addressed through other revenue sources, the district may eventually have to ask voters to approve a school?tax increase through a referendum to maintain programs and staffing. That possibility is part of why PILOT?revenue decisions at Vonage are drawing so much attention.

Community Views on Sharing PILOT Revenues

A recent Better Holmdel survey (145 respondents), summarized on Patch as “Holmdel Speaks: 94% Say PILOT Money Should Support Our Schools,” found:

In other words, among people who took the survey, there is strong informal support for sharing a substantial portion—on the order of 30–40% or more—of PILOT income with the district, and for deciding that question via a voter referendum.

Why the Vonage Decision Is a Focal Point

Putting these facts together:

We urge residents to sign this petition to stop the township from approving another PILOT that takes money away from the schools. Please sign this petition if you think that the township should first focus on a referendum and a subsequent significant share of PILOT revenues to the schools before approving additional PILOT programs in Holmdel. Have your voice heard by signing this petition.

Residents overwhelmingly support a public referendum

A recent community survey of 145 respondents shows overwhelming support for sharing Holmdel’s PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) revenue with the school district and for putting the question directly to voters in a public referendum.

Strong support for sharing PILOT revenue with schools

When asked whether the Holmdel Township Committee should share a percentage of PILOT tax revenue with the school district, 94% of respondents said yes, with only 4% opposed and 2% unsure.

Currently, Holmdel collects about $7.5 million annually from the two Bell Works PILOT programs and may receive more from the proposed Vonage redevelopment. Under normal property taxes, roughly 68% of revenue would go to the school district, but the schools receive nothing from PILOT payments.

On the question of how much PILOT revenue should be shared with the schools:

Taken together, 62.8% of respondents believe at least 40% of PILOT funds should go to the schools, and 77.3% support sharing at least 30%.

Broad backing for a public referendum

The survey also asked whether there should be a public referendum allowing Holmdel residents to decide if PILOT revenue should be shared with the school district.

This indicates strong support for giving residents a direct voice on the issue.

Themes from resident comments

Open-ended comments show intense concern about the impact of PILOTs on school funding and property values. Many respondents said they moved to Holmdel for its schools and worry that underfunding will hurt both students and home values. Others described the current PILOT structure as “crushing the school district” and called it “unfair” that the township benefits financially while the schools face budget shortfalls.

Several comments suggested that at least 50–60% of PILOT revenue should go to the schools, or that there should be no PILOT at all if the schools cannot share in the revenue. Others raised concerns about the proposed Vonage project, asking for more transparency, environmental safeguards, and public input before additional PILOT agreements are approved.

Overall, this informal survey reflects strong community sentiment that Holmdel’s schools should receive a significant share of PILOT revenue and that residents should have a direct say in how these funds are handled.

Given how dire the financial conditions are at our schools, we call on our elected officials to act immediately by adopting a resolution or ordinance to place a non?binding public question before the voters—on the next general election ballot, or, if legally permitted, at a special election—on whether a substantial share of PILOT revenues should be dedicated to our school district.

Prakash Santhana

Former Holmdel Deputy Mayor

When: Friday, 7

Last year’s final: Somerville 24, Delsea 6

Head coach: Anthony Diorio (17-6, second season)

Finals appearances: 5

Sectional titles: 0

Last time in final: 2024, 42-14 loss to Mainland in S.J. Group 3

Regular season: WJFL Continental; co-champions

Road to the final

Key stat

Tirico’s incredible season: When you look at Seneca’s stats, the numbers jump right off the page. Junior Anthony Tirico has been incredible this season, clearly putting himself among the state’s top dual-threat quarterbacks. The difference between his passing and rushing numbers are a mere 39 yards. He’s completed 107-of-170 passes for 1,454 yards and 16 touchdowns. He’s rushed for 1,493 yards and 16 TDs on 166 carries. Tirico has accounted for nearly 75% of the team’s total offensive yards.

Offensive stars

What coach is thinking

“Holmdel is a well-coached program and their players execute at a high level. Their QB (Jack Cannon) is a great football player and is a threat running and passing. We have to play assignment football and be disciplined for 48 minutes. We are excited and grateful to play another week of Friday night lights.” -- Anthony Diorio

At a glance

Seneca finds itself looking to snap a three-year skid of reaching a sectional final and coming up short. Camden, Delsea and Mainland were thorns in its side and now Holmdel and its explosive QB Jack Cannon stand in the way. This showdown could very well take three hours and be one of the highest scoring games of the postseason. Why? Both teams possess dual-threat quarterbacks who have put their teams on their back. For the Golden Eagles, junior Anthony Tirico has been sensational throughout his first three years and is clearly the centerpiece of the attack. Whether it’s with his arm or his legs, Tirico has put up video-game numbers and delivered big play after big play. The problem for Seneca is that Cannon has done the exact same for Holmdel. The Golden Eagles are going to have to try to keep Cannon from getting outside and breaking long runs. While he’s thrown for 2,362 yards and 26 touchdowns, Cannon has rushed for 1,407 yards and 28 scores. It’s easy to say, but clearly extremely difficult to do. If both QBs prove to be on their games, the team with the ball last just might be the winner.

Head coach: Noel Kavanagh (16-4, second season)

Finals appearances: 2

Sectional titles: 0

Last time in final: 1991, 28-13 loss to Manasquan in C.J. Group 2

Regular season: Shore Conference A North; second place

Road to the final

Key stat

Cannon fodder: His season is one of legend. Cannon has already done what no other Holmdel quarterback has since the school started football in 1972 -- lead the Hornets to the sectional playoffs. With the exception of the two Holmdel grads who played in the NFL -- Cannon’s uncle, John, a defensive end drafted in 1982, and tight end John Burke, who won a Super Bowl with the Patriots -- Jack Cannon may be the best to wear Holmdel blue. Of Holmdel’s 4,418 total offensive yards, Cannon accounts for all but 649 yards of them. He has produced 3,769 combined passing and rushing yards or an astounding 85% of the Hornet offense. Cannon has also figured in 54 of Holmdel’s 61 total touchdowns. Head coach Noel Kavanagh is a respected schemer and play-caller who puts Cannon in the best position to make plays. He coached with current Linden head coach Mark Ciccotelli when he won state titles with Neptune and Freehold Borough. Between Kavanagh’s play-calling and Cannon’s play-making, Holmdel has scored 438 points -- the most of any team in the Shore Conference and No. 3 in the state behind Glassboro (501) and Immaculata (458). Cannon is tied for third in total scoring with 170 points, ranks fourth in New Jersey in total touchdowns (28), seventh in passing yards (2,362), seventh in passing TDs (26) and 19th in rushing (1,409). At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Cannon is hard to bring down with better-than-you-think speed. He has four runs of 60 or more yards. As a passer, he has completed 75% of his 181 attempts. He has seven completions that have gone for 40 or more yards. The Dartmouth commit has thrown five interceptions -- only one in the last five games.

Offensive stars

What coach is thinking

“The Holmdel community is extremely excited about the opportunity we have to win the first sectional title in school history. The players have worked hard to get to this point and have been focused on the task at hand. We will be met by an excellent Seneca team. We embrace the challenge.” -- Noel Kavanagh

At a glance

There could be 100 points scored in this game. If you’re attending in person, be prepared for the possibility of the three-hour game. However, bring snacks with you because a trip to the refreshment stand could result in missing something spectacular. Seneca and Holmdel have combined for 743 points and 8,394 yards -- that’s 4.77 miles. Holmdel scored more points last week (65) than any team in the state -- it needed every one of them before dispatching Neptune, 65-49. Holmdel has won five-straight since it lost back-to-back games to Red Bank Catholic (29-28) and Brick Memorial (55-41), which are ranked No. 16 and No. 20, respectively, in the NJ.com Top 20. The Holmdel defense, while not terrible, has allowed 272 points — seventh most in the Shore Conference and the most by any team with a winning record. The Holmdel defense does have one shutout against 3-6 Raritan. It allowed 10 against Cinnaminson in the first round of the playoffs and 21 in victories over 2-8 Marlboro, 3-6 Middletown South and 6-4 Rumson-Fair Haven. Holmdel has a win over Central Jersey Group 4 finalist Middletown North (49-38) and Donovan Catholic (48-35), which is still alive in the Non-Public B playoffs. Why does Holmdel allow so many points? Exhaustion, perhaps. Many of its players go both ways. Holmdel plays fast. And, because in shootout-type games, opponents have to play fast to keep up. A couple other factors, Holmdel does not get to the quarterback very often. It has only 15 sacks all season. Its leading sacker, senior Luke Scheiss, has three. It has 51 tackles for loss, led by linebacker Joseph Berardi, who has 10.5. By comparison, its opponent last week, Neptune, has 155 TFL. Holmdel does have nine interceptions and six fumble recoveries. The Holmdel defense does know that any stop, at any point, could be decisive.

The pick

Holmdel over Seneca

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For nearly 20 minutes in the second half Friday night, Cedar Creek did what no other team was able to do this season — it silenced Holmdel’s Cannon.

After halftime adjustments, the Cedar Creek defense dominated the first 20 minutes of the second half. The Pirate defenders later sealed the deal when they stopped scrambling Holmdel quarterback Jack Cannon inches short of a first down with 1:47 remaining.

Timely defense and a big night from senior Frenchmon Bethea, who figured in six touchdowns and had two interceptions, pushed Cedar Creek (11-2) into the NJSIAA/Xifinity Group 3 final with a 48-38 victory at Bob Roggy Memorial Field in Holmdel.

Cedar Creek (11-2) advanced to the Group 3 title game against defending champion Old Tappan (12-0), which overpowered West Morris, 35-0, in the other semifinal on Friday night. The championship game will be played on Nov. 28, 4 p.m. at MetLife.

“It the second half, we wanted to play with a heavy box,” said Cedar Creek head coach James Melody. “We didn’t want to be crazy going after him (Cannon) and let him break contain. We wanted to keep him in the pocket and we did a good job of that in the second half.”

Cedar Creek rallied from a 30-20 halftime deficit with a blazing third quarter. The Pirates scored on their first three possessions of the second half to take a 41-30 lead with 6:42 left to play.

A nine-yard touchdown run by Cannon, who finished with a combined 349 yards of offense, and a two-point conversion pulled Holmdel (9-3) to within 41-38 with 3:46 left.

The Holmdel defense got its only stop of the second half and forced a punt with 2:37 remaining.

Cannon and the Hornets’ offense took over at its own 28. On second and third down Cannon scrambled back-and-forth between the hash marks and couldn’t find an open receiver.

On fourth-and-nine, with his receivers bottled up, Cannon fled the pocket in front of the Cedar Creek bench. As he neared the line to gain, he stepped out of bounds with the ball extended in his right hand.

“I reached out the ball and stepped out of bounds to stop the clock,” Cannon said between sobs. “I thought I had it. It was a bang-bang play. I should have gotten it. It’s the biggest regret of my whole life.”

Cedar Creek took over but on third-and-five at the Holmdel 32, the Pirates opted to put the ball in the air and it nearly cost them dearly. Bethea, who had 179 total yards in the second half, lobbed a pass down the seam to Jahmir Campfield. The fluttering pass barely eluded the outstretched hand of a Holmdel defender who had open field in front of him. Campfield made the catch, eluded a pair of defenders, and delivered the knockout blow.

Bethea, the “other” quarterback in the game, was clutch. He ran for 149 yards — 109 in the second half. He passed for 264 yards — 196 in the first half. His 60-yard run capping a 10-play, 80-yard drive on the first possession of the second half turned the tide. He finished with four passing TDs and two rushing.

“I think Frenchman is one of the best players in the state,” Melody said. “He’s come such a long way. He brings so much to our game it makes us hard to defend.”

“A lot of people have been counting me out my whole life,” Bethea said. “I think I’ve proved a lot of people wrong.”

Cannon, who had a senior season for the ages, ran for three TDs and passed for two. He has a 50-yard touchdown run in the first half.

Cannon leaped over the pile to score a two-yard touchdown with 1:02 left and gave Holmdel a 30-14 lead.

In another key series in the game, Cedar Creek went 69 yards in five plays. Cedar Creek picked up 67 yards on the first two plays of the drive. Bethea ran for 36 yards on the march and finished it off with a four-yard scoring throw to Ryan Staton with a second left before halftime. The Pirates closed to within 30-20.

In the third quarter, Holmdel ran only eight plays. Meanwhile, Cedar Creek came out running, turning Bethea loose on quarterback powers off-tackle. Holmdel did not tackle well in the second half, allowing Pirate runners to pick up boatloads of yards after first contact.

Bethea’s seven-yard run with 5:20 left in the third gave Cedar Creek its first lead, 34-30.

On the ensuing possession, Bethea intercepted Cannon on the first play of the fourth quarter leading to a 53-yard scoring drive. Aamir Dunbar finished it off with a one-yard run.

GROUP 3 SEMIFINALS

No. 20 Cedar Creek 48, No. 19 Holmdel 38

FIRST QUARTER

H - Serini 37 pass from Cannon (Cannon run), 9:05

CC- King 57 pass from Bethea (Sandoval kick), 0:37

SECOND QUARTER

H - Serini 13 pass from Cannon (Serini pass from Cannon) 9:36

CC - Campfield 49 pass from Bethea (Sandoval kick) 8:32

H - Cannon 50 run (Mueller kick) 7:31

H - Cannon 1 run (Mueller kick) 1:10

CC - Staton 4 pass from Bethea (kick blocked) 0:01

THIRD QUARTER

CC - Bethea 60 run (Sandoval kick), 9:13

CC - Bethea 4 run (Sandoval kick) 2:22

FOURTH QUARTER

CC - Dunbar 1 run (Sandoval kick), 6:42

H - Cannon 9 run (Aliperti pass from Cannon) 3:51

CC - Campfield 32 pass from Bethea (Sandoval kick) 0:37

TEAM STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Cedar Creek: Frenchmon Bethea 16-156, Aamir Dunbar 16-75, Jahmir Campfield 5-22. Holmdel: Jack Cannon 24-152, Matt Scheinman 2-21, Michael Todisco 1-8.

PASSING -- Cedar Creek:Bethea 14-24-1-264. Holmdel: Cannon 15-26-2-197.

RECEIVING -- Cedar Creek: Gyan King 6-127, Campfield 3-70, Ryan Staten 4-60, Erik Tribett 1-7. James Murphy 5-28, Michael Todisco 3-56, Anthony Serini 3-54, Scheinman 2-47, Carmine Aliperti 2-12.

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