The 2011 operating budget for the Township General Fund provides for $37,340,000 in expenditures. After subtracting revenue received from the state agencies, feeds, interest, licenses, etc., a total of $22,011,354 is the amount to be raised by taxation. This municipal tax levy is a 4.9 percent increase over 2010 and within the State-mandated CAP. The municipal tax rate is 36.9 cents in 2011, which reflects an increase of 2.4 cents over 2010.
The Municipal Budget represents approximately 15 percent of the total tax bill and is the only portion of the tax bill that the Mayor and Township Council can directly control. This 15 percent covers all the municipal services provided to residents including public safety (police and emergency services), public works (refuse, recycling, parks maintenance and yard waste collection), and human services (health, recreation, senior and social services). The remaining 85% is used to pay for regional schools, county and library taxes and open space acquisition and preservation.
A number of major commercial and capital projects have been initiated this past year. The new Rite-Aid building is nearing completion at Route 571 and Cranbury roads; the Windsor Plaza (old Acme site) renovation has been approved and is underway; and the reconstruction of the Alexander Road ‘S’ Curve is nearly complete with sidewalks and bike lanes.
Sidewalks have also been added around the train station to improve safe access to pedestrians and a new signal-controlled intersection has been established at Clarksville and Meadow roads for the safety of our motorists. In addition, West Windsor Township recently purchased a critical piece of open space property at the corner of Clarksville and Meadow roads from the Jewish Community Center. This purchase, which includes a blue heron rookery within its boundaries, was subsidized by grants received from FOWWOS and Mercer County.
West Windsor continues to be a full service municipality providing, among other services, leaf pick-up and brush collection every month. However, we need all residents to comply with the schedule of brush pickups for their areas. This is critical to allow storm water being able to flow to storm sewers; cyclists to ride close to the curb; and general health and safety. Please share the brush pickup schedule with your landscaper if you use one and adhere to the schedule. Summonses and municipal court fines are being levied against those who put their brush out before the week of collection.
Let’s keep our community clean and be considerate of our neighbors by complying with this requirement.
We look forward to serving you this coming year and thank you for your continued support.
Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh
West Windsor Mayor
The letter above was enclosed with property tax bills mailed to West Windsor property owners.
