A municipal budget is where values meet reality: what we protect, what we invest in and how we stay responsible with residents’ dollars.
For this month’s column, I want to share highlights from Moorestown’s 2026 municipal budget, a plan that is slightly north of $30 million and was developed over the past several months through a community-centered process. That included department requests in late fall, staff collaboration in winter, a council review in March and multiple in-person and virtual public workshops that gave residents a chance to ask questions and stay informed.
A helpful starting point is this: The township only controls one slice of your total property tax bill. Of every local tax dollar you pay, approximately 14% supports municipal services, including municipal open space. The remaining amount is collected by the township but passed through to other entities: the school district at 65%, Burlington County and county open space at 17%, the fire district at 3% and the township library at 2%.
That municipal portion is what we rely on to deliver the core services residents see every day. The largest portion of Moorestown’s municipal budget, about 18%, is dedicated to public safety, followed closely by public works at 15%. In practical terms, that means paying our police officers and supporting safe streets, along with the day-to-day operations residents count on: road maintenance and repairs, trash collection, snow removal, brush pickup, parks and recreation and more.
We’re proud of the recent contract we negotiated with our police officers because it helps ensure compensation is competitive and supports retention and recruitment. The budget also includes important investments that reflect who we are as a community.
In the capital plan, we are funding road overlay work to repair and resurface our roadways, including Bramley Road, East and West Spruce Avenue, Courtland Shire Drive, Jeffery Road, North Stanwick Road, the Valley View Terrace alleys, and targeted patches on East Main Street. We’re also investing in improvements to our hockey rinks and parks, including Full Throttle Playground, the Town Green Bandshell and Yancy Adams Park.
We are also continuing long-term investment in critical water infrastructure, including Main Street Water Main Replacement Phases 3 and 4. This work helps reduce water main breaks, strengthen long-term reliability, and protect the infrastructure residents depend on every day.
We will also continue to support parks and recreation programming that serves residents of all ages and abilities, including members of our community with special needs, because inclusion is a core Moorestown value.
This budget also reflects a step forward in our commitment to protecting and caring for our preserved open spaces. Open space is part of what makes Moorestown, Moorestown. That means not only acquiring land when opportunities arise, but also investing in stewardship, maintenance and historic preservation so these places remain assets for the next generation.
To support that work, we’re proposing to increase the dedicated open space tax rate from 1 to 2 cents. Those dollars go into the Open Space Trust and are restricted by law for open space purposes, meaning they can only be used for acquisition, preservation and maintenance, not general operations.
Like many towns across New Jersey, Moorestown is facing real cost pressures. The major drivers in the initial 2026 budget include health insurance (plus $580,513), police and township staff salaries (plus $380,048), sanitation (plus $201,800) and the library (plus $178,435). Municipalities are experiencing rising health-care and prescription drug costs, and those increases show up directly in local budgets.
Under the proposal presented by the township’s CFO, the budget includes an increase in the municipal portion of the tax bill. For the average assessed homeowner, that means about $179.68 a year, or roughly $14.97 a month.
As mayor, my goal is to ensure the budget we put forward is fiscally responsible, honest about rising costs and mindful of the burden on residents. That’s why we worked with staff to identify savings and make targeted reductions without cutting services residents rely on.
Since becoming mayor, I’ve been committed to building a transparent budget process. This year, council expanded opportunities for residents to engage, with a public presentation on 3/23, workshops on 3/26 and 4/1, official introduction on 4/6 and a public hearing and potential adoption on 5/4, five clear opportunities for the public to participate and get questions answered.
Every decision this council makes is guided by our goal to communicate clearly, deliver strong and reliable public services and be responsible stewards of your tax dollars. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me at qlaw@moorestown.nj.us.
