Special Meeting On PILOT Projects Planned By Parsippany Councilman

PARSIPPANY, NJ — This week, an information session discussing the recently approved PILOT projects in Parsippany has been organized by Councilman Justin Musella.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Parsippany Township’s Main Library, located at 449 Halsey Road, Parsippany-Troy Hills.

According to a notice, the special town hall meeting is being hosted by Musella, Parsippany Board of Education elect Andy Choffo, and Ken Kaplan of KenKap Realty.

"A valuable information session about the dangers of Mayor James Barberio’s current mission to hurriedly award large tax breaks for private developers during a lame duck Council session. The attorney representing all six of the proposed PILOT programs being supported by the Mayor and four sitting council members is former Township Attorney John Inglesino, who served as Township Attorney during Barberio’s initial Mayoral term between 2010 and 2017," the notice said.

Over the last three town council meetings, discussions and disagreements have been sparked after Mayor James Barberio and a council majority spoke in favor of the financial arrangements known as PILOTs—short for Payments In Lieu Of Taxes — for the township.

Read More: Parsippany Approves PILOT Projects Despite Public Backlash

PILOT agreements, also known as municipal tax abatements, are deals that enable a developer to switch their standard tax payments for a property to a fixed, yearly payment to the municipality.

In Parsippany, the council has voted on and approved three specific PILOT programs for redevelopment projects at 2 and 3 Campus Drive and 249 Pomeroy Road.

Barberio and the council have faced an abundance of criticism from the public and members of the Parsippany Board of Education, who claim that the newly proposed PILOTs will underfund the school system even as new developments undoubtedly add additional kids and costs.

Read More: PILOT Project's Financial Impact On Parsippany Schools Discussed

Four council members, Michael dePierro, Loretta Gragnani, Frank Neglia, and Paul Carifi, support the mayor's stance on the planned PILOT programs. Musella, the sole council member to vote no, has spoken out against the use of PILOTs in the township.