EAST GREENWICH TWP. – The committee meeting for East Greenwich Township held on May 23 announced the township budget for 2023 would include no municipal tax increase for the eighth year in a row.
From 2022 to 2023, the township faced a $500,000 increase in costs on the $11 million budget. Despite this, Mayor Dale Archer said the committee was able to finalize a budget that would not pass these rising costs back to township residents.
“I just don’t think many people understand what we’ve been able to accomplish. Eight years in a row with not raising taxes in the state of New Jersey… it’s almost impossible. But we’ve done it,” said Archer
The township will also be using funds this year to purchase two new vehicles and an electronic ticketing system for the police department, a lift, dump truck, and pole barn doors for public works.
The mayor said that these improvements, with no tax increase, were due to the township’s economic development in recent years.
“One thing that stood out to me was our smart economic growth. That’s our small businesses that come into town, that is also our light industrial warehouses that have come into town, as well as a combination of the larger businesses and some of the smart over 55 growth,” said Archer.
In addition to the finalized budget, the meeting also featured the swearing in of special law enforcement officers (SLEO), Class I, Samuel Adams, Jalyn Greco, Jeffrey Kugler, Jr, Jager Massing, Luke Mitchell, and Louis Damminger to the East Greenwich Police Department. The class was congratulated by both Mayor Archer and Deputy Mayor James Philbin, Jr.
“We’re very fortunate to have some young folks, especially in this time and temperature, to go down the route of being a police officer,” said Archer.
SLEO Class I positions are part time positions in a department that provide public safety and law enforcement such as spectator control, traffic direction and court security.
The meeting was also used to approve the use of bonded money from a NJ Department of Transportation grant to improve and repave several roads within the township, announce that work had begun on the construction of two new pickleball courts, and authorize several purchases the township plans to make this year.
By Abigail Twiford
