The adoption of the 2025 municipal budget was quick.
“I am very happy to announce that for the sixth year in a row, we have no tax increases, and for the 16th year in a row, there’s no rate increase on sewer (costs),” said Mayor Barnes Hutchins.
In a unanimous vote at its meeting on June 10, Delran council adopted a $20.38-million budget that will fund operations for 2025.
“All of us are happy to hold the line on taxes,” noted council President Thomas Lyon before the vote.
The proposed municipal tax rate for the budget remains stable at 79 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The owner of an average home assessed at $216,348 will pay $909.38 in municipal taxes.
Municipal taxes are one item on a property owner’s total tax bill, which also includes the township school district and county levies. The total a resident pays in taxes is determined by the assessed value of his or her home and/or property, and the rate set by each taxing entity.
To support the budget, property taxes are a main source of revenue. The amount expected to be raised by Delran’s 2025 property taxes is $18.27 million, a 57.41% increase from last year’s $11.6 million. The budget covers police, public works, capital projects, shared-service agreements and general government operations.
The township proposes to use $5.9 million from the surplus as revenue in the budget, a $110,000 – or 1.89% – increase from 2024. Other projected revenues in the budget include: $1.29 million in state aid, $383,935 from shared-service agreements and $600,000 from uniform construction code fees.
For appropriations, the budget will fund $1.69 million on municipal debt service.
Additional appropriations include: $4.7 million for public safety (includng police); $2.4 million on insurance; $3.4 million for public works; $1.3 million for capital improvements; $798,000 toward utilities and bulk purchases; and $88,100 to Health and Human Services, according to the budget documents.
