There is not enough room in this space to fill it with everyone who helped us raise another $20,000 for Robbinsville Meals on Wheels as part of our 9th “Pay it Forward” event May 14 at The Stone Terrace by John Henry’s.
From our very generous corporate sponsors, led by William Penn Bank, B.A.P.S. and Capital Health, to the greater Robbinsville community, emcee Nina Melker, Pastor Dan Greco, everyone at The Stone Terrace to Jodi Stephens and John Nalbone in the Mayor’s office—hank you from the very bottom of my heart.
I remember the last State of the Township Address I gave that was not part of the “Pay it Forward” component. It was 2014, in the middle of the afternoon inside one of our many flourishing businesses the Matrix Business Park. While necessary, something was missing.
All I thought about the rest of day was: “We can do better.”
So, we took the State of the Township address, which is required by law for every municipality in the State and turned it into something that exceeded even my wildest vision.
Starting with an all-abilities accessible van for Trey Shepherd in 2015 and right through our latest event, which gathered a record 280 people, we have now raised over $500,000 for our friends and organizations in need.
To make the May 14 event even more magical, we were joined by Robbinsville Meals on Wheels founder Josephine Parr, 87, and her wonderful family. It was a joy to give Josephine just our third Humanitarian Award.
Pay it Forward Community Partner Awards were also presented to Christine O’Brian from our dear friends at David Bradley Chocolatier, along with the incredible team at Be Kind, who have done so much for towns throughout Mercer County.
Special thanks to all of our past “Pay it Forward” recipients, including the Shepherds, Quilts for Comfort, the late Deborah Dauer, C.A.R.E., Mercer Street Friends Food Bank, the We Love Our R’ville Neighbors campaign, the Breden Family and the McLaughin family. You are all forever part of our Robbinsville family!
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The 2024 municipal budget of $28.5 million has been introduced with a public hearing and vote to adopt scheduled for June 13. Following nine consecutive years of either flat or reduced municipal taxes, the 2022 and 2023 budgets marked the first municipal increases since 2012, mostly due to widespread inflation.
I was thrilled to report at the State of the Township that due to many sacrifices made by our department heads and other employees, we will be able to stay flat again in 2024 – the 10th time in 13 years.
Last year’s municipal increase was a big pill to swallow, so we did everything in our power to offset that as best we could, especially in light increases by both the school district and Mercer County. No one hates raising taxes more than me, so it was nice to remain stable while still providing exceptional services.
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Do not miss our big Community Festival event on Saturday June 8 from 2 to 9:30 p.m., with another fun-filled day on West Town Center Lake at C.A.R.E. Fishing Derby set for Saturday, June 15. This is always a very special time in our town, and we cannot wait to celebrate it with all of you.
Congratulations to the Class of 2024! You have been through a lot these past four years, and we wish you the best as you continue to explore this great, big world.
Dave Fried is the mayor of Robbinsville Township
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