Lawrence Twp. Budget 2023: Tax Increase Looms For Residents

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ — Residents can expect to see an increase in taxes this year, according to the 2023 municipal budget introduced by the township.

The Council introduced a $61.7 million budget for 2023. The recommended municipal tax rate for 2023 is .6520, which represents a 2.50¢ increase.

The increase to a taxpayer that owns a home assessed at $300,000 is $18.75 per quarter or $75 annually.

In a letter to the community, Municipal Manager Kevin Nerwinski said that the increase in taxes was beyond the township's control as costs rise across “many industries in a post-pandemic world.”

“Fortunately, we are well positioned to meet this challenge because our budgets over the past several years have conservatively addressed our needs, reduced our debt, and maintained the services to the community at the levels we expect and demand,” Nerwinski said.

He told residents that the budget was planned to put the township on “fiscally solid ground.”

The increase was partially offset by an increase in ratables, a half year of a new cannabis tax and a successful grant program, Nerwinski said.

However, the township also needs to address public safety concerns by hiring three firefighters, two EMTs, two civilian employees for the police department and will be adding two employees to the public works department to better maintain current and upcoming parks.

“We continue to maintain and increase our surplus fund by using only as much as can be regenerated by year-end. By doing this, we can better maintain our high credit rating and enjoy the benefits of the best rates for financing our essential community projects and infrastructure improvements,” Nerwinski said.

“Additionally, this year we plan to transfer $3,350,000 from our Surplus Fund to our Capital Improvement Fund to fund our future capital improvement projects to avoid paying higher financing charges from bonding for the work. Importantly, this transfer does not factor in the amount to be collected by taxation.”

The township hopes to raise $30,686,650.90 in taxes for 2023, which is an increase of $1,259,547.27 over last year.

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