Mantua has again been recognized by South Jersey magazine as a top town in Gloucester County and the region.
The township’s 2025 ranking is No. 3 in the county and No. 9 in South Jersey. The rankings were derived from state police data as well as figures from the New Jersey Department of Education and the state’s Division of Local Government Services.
A weighted formula that combined average property values and taxes, crime reports and school performance numbers, etc., landed Mantua at the top of the charts again.
For many of us fixated on taxes, Mantua’s average property taxes are by far the lowest out of the top three towns in the county. For the record, the township ranked in the top three for 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 and now 2025, and has also been a top 10 town in South Jersey for the last five out of six years.
We adopted a new township code for rental registrations that went into full effect in January. The code implements landlord registration fees for rental properties and limits short-term rentals for a term of no less than 30 days.
This proactive initiative by the township committee eliminates one-night rentals and makes the increasingly popular pop-up parties prohibitive. It also prohibits short-term rentals to anyone younger than 21. This initiative also prohibits the lease or rental of amenities within a residential dwelling, such as prohibiting residential pool rentals, etc.Â
On March 10, we adopted an ordinance to amend our township code as it relates to trash receptacles. We have continued to provide free single-trash, recycling and green carts to each household. But there is now a one-time $75 fee only for an additional cart in each category; the change avoids burdening taxpayers as a whole. Â
The township’s Police Unity Tour team and more than 100 other riders stopped at McCarson Park here on May 9 to pay their respects for state trooper Eli McCarson, who died in the line of duty in December of 2015. Our Mantua team marked National Police Week – May 11 to 17 – by riding more than 200 miles to Washington, D.C., to honor those in law enforcement who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
We adopted our municipal budget for the 2025 fiscal year at a June 9 township committee meeting. The total budget was $17.62 million and is only 20% of your overall property tax bill. Our municipal expenses went up by $578,451 this year, with items like increased contractual salaries and wages and higher health insurance costs as major factors.
We’ve been constantly tightening the belt on spending. The past year’s budget was only the second time in the last five years that we’ve had to increase local taxes slightly. The budget was responsible, it had no fluff and it is reflective of the current state of the economy and the higher cost of living that we are all faced with.
We approved the re-purposing of two Chestnut Branch Park basketball courts into six state-of-the-art pickleball courts and are revitalizing the entire playing area. The park became dog friendly last year, and this year, we approved rubberized flooring for the playground area and pickleball courts. Our goal is to try and incorporate something new each year to better serve our residents and their recreational wants and needs.
The township committee continued its efforts to provide free senior citizen services. We sponsored monthly senior dinners, two senior barbecues, various bus trips and more. For the second straight year, we partnered with the Total Experience Foundation (TEF) to provide free Thanksgiving turkey and trimmings to our needy senior residents.
Mantua was awarded a New Jersey Department of Transportation grant of $2.8 million to make much needed intersection improvements at Bridgeton Pike and Mount Royal Road. We also got a $50,000 recreational grant for youth sports and other county and state funding to help offset local tax dollars. About a year ago, our soccer fields at Chestnut Branch Park needed much tender love and care, so we brought in Joe Anderson, a turf management specialist and who is part of the grounds crew for the Phillies.
Our efforts continued with the enhancement of community events highlighted by our Police Night Out in late September, the annual winter festival and the Deck the House holiday decorating contest.
For these reasons – and many others – Mantua continues to be a great place to live, play and raise our families.
