TOMS RIVER - Which issues will dominate discussion in Toms River in 2019? There are always a few surprises, but here are three topics that are likely to take centerstage this year.

1. Property taxes. This issue is pretty much on every property owner's mind each year. But 2019 could present some special challenges in Toms River.

The Township Council kept the tax rate for municipal purposes stable in 2018, at 63.4 cents per $100 of assessed property value. That marked the second year in a row that the tax rate for the municipal portion of the budget remained stable.

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With the township's ratable base still not fully recovered from 2012's superstorm Sandy, the council and Mayor Thomas F. Kelaher will have to make some tough choices if they want to present a third straight spending plan with no tax increase.

The township has also been ordered to conduct a revaluation of properties, although those new values will not be place until 2020.

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But the Toms River Regional school district will face much tougher challenges.

The school purposes tax rate in Toms River rose 2 cents in 2018, to fund the 2018-2019 school budget. District officials and the school board were able to use maintenance and surplus funds to avoid an ever bigger increase after the state slashed Toms River Regional's school aid by $2.3 million.

An additional $5 million cut is expected in 2019, under a new state aid formula that penalizes districts with declining enrollment, like Toms River Regional, Brick and Middletown. Toms River Regional Superintendent David M. Healy has warned of the potential for "draconian" budget cuts for the 2019-2020 school year if the district does not receive more state school aid.

Toms River Regional instituted a hiring freeze in late December, and has joined a lawsuit with other school districts against state Education Commissioner Lamont Repollet, whose department oversees the distribution of state education funds.

Healy and school Board President Russell K. Corby have warned of program and staffing cuts, and the possibility of eliminating middle school sports and courtesy busing if the district does not receive more funds.

2. Open space preservation and development. Concern about rapid development, particularly in Toms River's northwestern sections, have dominated political discussion here for the last three years.

The mayor and council members have expressed surprise and bewilderment over voters' rejection of an open space question that was on the November ballot.

The referendum asked residents if they would support doubling the township's open space tax — from 1.5 cents to 3 cents per $100 of assessed property value. It would have raised about $3.8 million annually to purchase land.

More than 60 percent of voters rejected the tax increase.

"We thought it was a no-brainer," Councilman Maurice B. "Mo" Hill has said of the open space referendum, which was rejected by voters, 17,121 to 11,267.

Some residents who sent email or called The Asbury Park Press indicated they voted against the ballot measure because it was unclear how the council would spend the money.

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Now the council and Mayor Kelaher must decide how much land Toms River should try to buy and how much money the township should spend on property purchases.

Frustration over the rapid pace of development — particularly in the formerly rural North Dover area — was widely believed to be the biggest factor in Republican losses.

More than 1,400 homes have either been completed, are under construction, or have been approved in the North Dover and Pleasant Plains areas of town.

All of the developments in the township's most northern areas contain at least some affordable housing, to help the township meet state mandates to provide housing for low- and moderate-income home buyers and renters.

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With open space dwindling and development booming, particularly in the northern areas of town, council members and Kelaher have struggled to come up with ways to contain growth.

A building moratorium, once suggested by some council members, is likely not legal. The idea was abandoned after some discussion earlier this year.

What are the township's options now? Learn more in the video above this story.

In May, the council voted unanimously to rezone more than 60 acres of land in North Dover to eliminate the potential of more high-density housing.

Development on the property will be restricted to one house every two acres, comparing to the previous zoning, which allowed one house for every half-acre. The council's decision drew the ire of lawyer Harvey L. York, whose clients own the majority of the property.

York said the council’s decision to rezone his clients’ property has slashed the value of their land, which developers from Lakewood had planned to purchase.

The developers would have paid $5 million for each parcel, he said.

Young Orthodox Jewish families have been moving into northern Toms River for the past few years, attracted by the availability of larger homes and a more tranquil setting than can be found in many parts of neighboring Lakewood.

3. Mayor and council races. Will GOP Mayor Kelaher seek a fourth, four-year term? Talk in township political circles is that Kelaher, 86, is widely expected to run again, but the mayor has not yet announced his candidacy.

Kelaher said Dec. 31 that he has not yet made a decision on whether to run again, and likely won't for awhile.

Also up for grabs in 2019 will be three at-large council seats that are now held by three Republicans: Maurice B. "Mo" Hill Jr., George E. Wittmann Jr. and Brian Kubiel. In 2017, Democrats took three of four ward council seats, winning seats on the council for the first time in more than a decade.

But Ward 2 Councilman Daniel Rodrick left the Democratic Party in July, citing national and state issues as his reasons for switching parties. That leaves the GOP with a 5-2 edge on the council. Do Democrats have a shot at winning more council seats this year?

Toms River is a staunchly Republican town in most GOP-dominated county in New Jersey, so Democrats always face an uphill battle here. But voters continued frustration over development and property taxes mean the election campaign is likely to be contentious.

Jean Mikle: 732-643-4050, @jeanmikle, jmikle@gannettnj.com