Mayor introduces 2025 proposed budget
At the Council Meeting on April 8, Mayor Bert H. Steinmann introduced Ewing Township’s 2025 municipal budget proposal, totaling $59.39 million and staying under the state’s 2% cap. The average homeowner will see an annual increase of about $53, or about a dollar a week. Key highlights include full staffing for police (87 officers), the addition of 21 firefighters (17 funded by SAFER grant), and strong revenue from cannabis sales and PILOT agreements. Major grants are helping fund the new Senior Center and infrastructure upgrades. A public hearing will be scheduled. Read the Mayor's full remarks below.
Mayor Steinmann’s 2025 Budget Remarks
Council President Keyes-Maloney, Council members, department heads, and neighbors --
I’m here tonight to walk you through this year’s proposed municipal budget. Before I get into the numbers, I want to thank our CFO Joanna Mustafa, our Business Administrator Aaron Watson, and all of our department heads. This is a team effort, and I’m proud of how we continue to look out for our residents by being smart with taxpayer dollars.
The proposed 2025 budget totals just under $59.4 million. Even with rising costs in a lot of areas—things like inflation, healthcare, and recycling—we’ve kept this budget under the state’s 2% cap on tax increases and 3.5% cap on spending. That’s not easy, but it’s the right thing to do.
This budget comes with a modest tax increase. For the average Ewing homeowner—with a house assessed at $209,800—it means about $52 more for the year, or around $13 a quarter. I know no one likes any increase, and we don’t take this lightly. But we’ve worked hard to keep it as low as possible while continuing to deliver the services people rely on every day.
Property taxes remain our biggest source of income, and this year we expect to bring in just over $35.3 million through the tax levy. Our tax base—meaning all taxable property in town—has grown to over $3.3 billion. That’s a good sign of Ewing’s ongoing growth.
We’re also expecting about $33 million in other revenue, from things like permits, hotel taxes, ambulance billing, and cannabis sales tax. Cannabis sales alone are bringing in over $280,000 this year. We are seeing a drop in cable TV franchise fees—people are cutting the cord—but our PILOT revenue, especially from Ewing Town Center, is strong.
On the state side, our aid dropped slightly—down about $509,000 from last year—but we’re using $4.1 million from our surplus to help balance the budget. That still leaves us with a solid cushion for future needs.
Now let’s talk about spending. The things pushing costs up aren’t unique to Ewing—everyone’s dealing with higher expenses. That includes union contracts, healthcare, and solid waste and recycling. Despite that, we’re staying committed to public safety, infrastructure, and essential services.
Here’s where some of the money’s going:
- $11 million for Police
- $3.1 million for Fire
- $1.44 million for Emergency Medical Services
- Nearly $6 million for Public Works
- $1.4 million for public employee pensions (PERS)
- $3.6 million for police and fire pensions (PFRS)
We’ve also got a few things to be proud of this year. Our Police Department is fully staffed—87 officers—for the first time since 2000. And thanks to the federal SAFER grant, we’ve hired 21 new firefighters, bringing us up to 31 total.
We’re seeing real momentum with capital projects, too. We received:
- $500,000 to help rebuild the Senior and Community Center (now under construction)
- $436,000 for road work on Bull Run Road
- $70,000 to support our Fire Division
- $86,000 to improve Higgs Park
That new community center is going to be a real game-changer for our town—something all ages can enjoy and be proud of.
We are keeping an eye on the future too. There’s uncertainty when it comes to federal and state dollars, and I’ve asked our departments to prepare for that. We're going to stay lean and efficient, but without cutting the services that matter most.
All in all, I feel good about where we’re headed. We’re growing, investing in our infrastructure and people, and keeping Ewing a great place to live, work, and raise a family.
I invite everyone to weigh in at the public hearing on a date to be determined. We’re in this together, and your voice matters.
Thanks again to Council and to our residents. Let’s keep Ewing moving forward.
— Mayor Bert H. Steinmann
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