Infrastructure, Tax Control Part Of Washington Township's 2020

LONG VALLEY, NJ - Keeping high quality services, improving infrastructure and not burdening the taxpayers all factor in to the Washington Township governing body's plans for 2020, according to Mayor Matt Murello's remarks at the annual reorganization meeting last weekend.

Murello was chosen for his second consecutive term as mayor. Under the Township form of government there is no direct election of mayor. Under the current township government laws, voters elect, at-large, the township committee comprising three or five members. The elections are partisan and the committee members serve staggered three-year terms. The township committee elects the mayor for a one-year term. The mayor serves as chair of the township committee and has powers vested in the mayor's office by general law.

You can see Murello's complete remarks below.

"I would like to start this morning by thanking my fellow Committeemen for putting their faith in me to serve our community as Mayor for a second year. I would also like to congratulate Committeemen Forsbrey and Oborn. Lastly I would be remiss if I did not thank our township volunteers, Administrator and township employees, as well as the families of the volunteers and of those of us on the Township Committee, especially my wife Kristine and my children Nick and Olivia, as none of us could serve our community without your support and understanding.

I’d also like to recognize and welcome the following distinguished guests for joining us today:

• Senator Anthony Bucco
• Senator Tom Kean
• Assemblywoman Aura Dunn
• Sheriff James Gannon
• Morris County Clerk, Ann Grossi

Morris County Freeholders

• Director Deborah Smith
• Deputy Director Steven Shaw
• Doug Cabana
• (Former WT Mayor) John Krickus

Also former committeemen Jim Liabraten and Walt Cullen. Washington Township is always grateful for the excellent working relationships we have with our representatives.

As we move into a new year and a new decade, the accomplishments we have made in the Township are impossible to not recognize. It’s important to note however, that our accomplishments could not have been achieved without the hard work of the Township Administrator and my fellow Committeemen. We work collaboratively to benefit the people of the township. Recently an independent group that researches communities nationwide determined again that Washington Township is one of the best communities to live in giving it an “A” rating.

Over the last year, we have increased our shared service agreements to include Courts with Mendham Borough in addition to extending our court and police agreements with Califon Borough. Today we will also have a resolution for a new shared services agreement with Washington Borough for animal control services. In total, the Township has 25 shared service agreements. Though in some cases we receive services from another municipality, in most cases Washington Township provides services benefiting the recipients and increasing revenue to our budget. In 2019, we received about $900,000 in shared service revenue, an increase of almost $200,000 from the previous year. Money that goes directly to serve the people of the Township.

Washington Township also continues to benefit from grants. There was over $350,000 in grants in the 2019 budget that included about $200,000 for Naughright Road work, between Bartley Road and Fairview and about $80,000 for a new trail in Harrington Park which will be completed in 2020. On average, the Township applies for and receives $350,000 in grants annually. However, we have already been awarded two grants at the end of 2019 and the start of 2020 totaling over $500,000 for more work on Naughright Road, which will be included in the upcoming budget.

Over the last year, I have listened to residents about the quality of our infrastructure. We have about 140 miles of roads and we work with the County and our DPW every year to prioritize the roads in greatest need of repair. In 2019, we continued to work on improving our infrastructure by budgeting more than $900,000 on paving and resurfacing projects, an increase of more than $500,000 annually from 6 years ago. The Committee also appropriated more than $100,000 for replacing and improving the exterior of the Municipal Building. Though the municipal building is only subject to capital review by the Planning Board, the Township asked the Historic Preservation Commission for its input, then submitted its plans to them for a certificate of appropriateness, just as a homeowner in the historic district would. That plan continues to progress and I hope will result in a completed project this year.

Our recreation department continues to deliver almost daily programs for our families and seniors in town. Including; movies under the stars, sports and fitness programs and senior holiday lunches. But having diverse programs isn’t enough and we will continue to maintain and improve our recreation facilities and fields which are some of the best around. We have also continued to improve our parks and open spaces in town. In 2019 we installed the more than 1½ miles of walking paths at Rock Spring Park and, as I previously mentioned, we will be adding additional walking trails at Harrington Park this year.

Washington Township has the best emergency service departments. Our all-volunteer fire departments and first aid squad are the best trained, and hardest working volunteer force in the area and the envy of our neighboring towns. We continued to support our departments in 2019 by working with them to deliver a new fire truck and a new ambulance, as well as to reserve over $600,000 for emergency equipment and vehicles over the last two years. This is due in large part to the Township Committee and emergency services working together to obtain grant funding and develop, and stick to, five-year capital replacement plans. While we all hope to never need the services of our emergency departments, we are thankful when they respond when we do and we will remain committed to keeping them equipped.

Our Township police department remains one of the top municipal forces in the State. In 2019 the Department received accreditation by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police. A process that took two years and over 2,000 hours to complete. The Department’s community-oriented approach to policing included events like Coffee with a Cop, School Resource Officers, and open forums on public safety, opioids, vaping, and violence with the goal of keeping our Township safe and maintaining our excellent quality of life. We recently swore in three new officers to the department and, with upcoming retirements, we anticipate promotions.

While continuing to improve our town, deliver the services and equipment needed, the Committee hears the residents about property taxes and remains fiscally conservative with municipal budget. Washington Township has the second lowest percentage municipal tax rate in Morris County. Statewide, the average share of property taxes that went to municipalities was about 30%, while about 50% went to schools and 20% to counties. In 2019, 18% of property taxes went to the municipality and 72% to schools in Washington Township.

In the 2019 budget, the municipal share of the tax increase was roughly 1.5%. Over the last 5 years, the Municipal tax increase has been less than 2% annually. In addition, we have not in that time used any exceptions to the 2% cap allowed by the state. Furthermore, the Committee in 2019 used the lowest percent of surplus funds in the last five years, allowing the Township to pay down our debit and increase our surplus more rapidly and responsibly. As we begin to work on the budget for this year, a process that is open to the public, the Committee will continue this trend to keep the municipal share of the property taxes low and deliver the services needed for our residents.

Looking ahead into 2020, the Township is participating in the county’s five-year hazard mitigation plan update. Once complete, the Township will be seeking grant funding for hazards identified in the plan, like the emerald ash borer. We will continue to work on public education with the Shade Tree Commission and acquisition of equipment to enhance removal of ash trees subject to the infestation. I have also begun review of our ordinances so the Committee can reduce the red tape for home owners looking to improve their property. We want our departments and Boards to have a culture of working with homeowners and small businesses. Finally, I have also requested the power company to do a comprehensive review of the Township’s tree trimming program and aging power infrastructure in order to take a proactive approach to mitigating future large-scale power outages.

Washington Township is a great place to live and we are going to keep it that way. I want to conclude by again thanking the Committee, Township Administrator and all of the employees and volunteers for a great 2019 and for an optimistic new year."

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading, or by visiting the Google Play store.