“What does the Hopewell Township Committee actually do?”
I have been asked this on more than one occasion by local residents. And my short answer is, “We work with the Hopewell Township professionals to make our community an even better place to live.”
The longer answer is, well, longer.
The five of us on the Hopewell Township Committee are responsible for establishing township policies and priorities, particularly with respect to the budget. The Hopewell Township professionals, led by township administrator George Snyder, are responsible for the day-to-day running of the township.
Working together, we have taken a number of actions to improve Hopewell Township services and continue to foster community.
Regarding the budget, all of us on the Township Committee, and every department head, spend considerable time reviewing and analyzing township finances. We want to strike the balance of delivering the high quality services our residents deserve and keeping Hopewell Township’s share of property tax bills as low as possible. Our township chief financial officer and treasurer, Julie Troutman, is critical to this effort. This year, through smart financial management, we reduced the township’s tax rate for the second consecutive year.
Events outside of our control happen to the budget, but we still have to deal with them. Perhaps the most significant event of recent years was Bristol Myers Squibb’s announcement that it was leaving its Hopewell Township campus.
The potential loss of tax revenue from this one company would create a huge hole in our budget. Thanks to the work of our township professionals and committee member Kevin Kuchinski, we figured out a way to reinvent the campus to make it attractive for potential tenants. Our efforts have paid off with companies such as BeiGene coming to the township, creating jobs and tax revenue.
The legalization of cannabis offers another opportunity for additional tax revenue. We have worked with legal counsel to create comprehensive regulations for the cultivation, manufacturing, and sale of cannabis that promote safety while also opening new sources of revenue.
Making a community an even better place to live involves more than budgeting. I have worked closely with the Woolsey Park Advisory Committee, our director of community development and township engineer Jim Hutzelmann, recreation director Karin Poveromo, and assistant director of public works Dave Guerard, to build a bandshell in Woolsey Park.
Once completed, the bandshell will serve as a place for community events. And it will be paid for thanks to a $500,000 grant from the State of New Jersey. While there have been some delays due to supply chain issues, we expect ground to be broken within the next few months.
Committee member Kuchinski has worked with Ms. Poveromo on replacing the turf field at Twin Pines, a project that will also commence in the next few months. The field, which has exceeded its useful life, is in constant use by hundreds of local athletes. The replacement cost will be covered in part by a grant from Mercer County.
We received a $2 million grant from the State of New Jersey and a smaller grant from Mercer County, towards construction of the new Senior and Community Center. Deputy Mayor Courtney Peters-Manning is working with our citizen volunteers on the Senior Advisory Board, and she and Committee member Kuchinski are coordinating with community partners as we move closer to breaking ground on what will become a centerpiece of Hopewell Township.
In any community, emergency services are critical. Deputy Mayor Peters-Manning has worked tirelessly as our liaison to the Hopewell Township Police Department as well as our first liaison to the Fire District. Her advocacy to our state delegation helped secure a grant of $600,000 to fund the upgrading of our 911 system.
And our new police chief, Jim Rosso, is truly community focused. I attended a recent meet and greet, along with the other committee members, at Brandon Farms where Chief Rosso and members of the police department took questions from local residents. I look forward to other meet and greets in the months ahead.
Earlier this year, some local residents asked us about improving traffic safety on Denow Road near Freedom Village. Thanks to the quick attention of Mr. Snyder, Mr. Hutzelmann, and Chief Rosso, new traffic measures are being implemented.
Other residents have asked for traffic control measures at Route 31 and Ingleside Avenue. I sent a letter to the Mercer County Executive in July asking for traffic calming measures and warming signs on Ingleside Avenue. The committee has previously requested a traffic light at the intersection and has authorized a cost share agreement with the New Jersey Department of Transportation for a signal. We are pushing for a response.
Truck traffic on Route 579 has been a concern of residents for some time. Committee member David Chait worked with the police department for increased patrols and signage. He also contacted mapping vendors to ensure that GPS programs used by truckers indicate that Route 579 has specific weight restrictions.
Committe member Uma Purandare has partnered with Mr. Snyder, Mr. Hutzelmann and state agencies to have bus shelters built on Route 31 near Shop-Rite and Hopewell Crossing. And she has worked with Hopewell Township Health Officer Dawn Marling to make sure our health department is properly equipped for a post-pandemic world. Committee member Purandare and Deputy Mayor Peters-Manning are also working with Trenton Water Works on issues of water safety.
Finally we want to be sure Hopewell Township is a great place not just to live, but to work and visit as well. That’s why we created the Tourism and Economic Development Advisory Committee to solicit ideas on how we can make the Township attractive for businesses and, as we approach the semiquincentennial in 2026, attractive to tourists as well.
While this is not a comprehensive list, I hope this gives a better sense of what the township committee does, and how we work with our township professionals.
On issues large and small, we are here to make our community an even better place for all of us.
Michael Ruger is the mayor of Hopewell Township, which provided this content.
,
