Slideshow photography by Robert Simonelli, Jr.

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Message from the Mayor

September 15, 2021

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2021 has been a busy year so far.  To see the full list of Borough Accomplishments   --> click here <-- or on the image below........

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September 2, 2021

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Dear Residents of Spotswood:

It has been an honor to serve as your Mayor for the past eight months.  While I anticipated that this new role would bring new challenges, no one could have predicted the challenges of 2020.  The Borough is conscious of the hardships we have endured, and I am impressed and proud of how our community has come together to get through these dark moments. I look forward to a brighter future for Spotswood because if we all continue to work together, we will come out of this pandemic stronger than ever.  

One of my first tasks as Mayor was to prepare this year's budget. The shortfall in revenues from the prior fiscal year was immediately apparent.  The prior administration oversaw a loss in revenue for EMS billing, municipal court fees, and construction fees.  These deficits, coupled with an increase in appropriations the Borough must provide the State to fund retirement contributions, created significant obstacles to prepare a budget that remains mindful of the financial strain imposed upon our residents.  Please be assured that all Borough employees are working hard to "squeeze every penny," which allowed for only a modest impact on the tax rate while ensuring all Borough services remain in place for our residents.  The increase of the Borough's budget of 1.024% is well below the five-year average.

As detailed in the chart on the back of this page, the Spotswood Municipal share of the total 2021 tax levy is nearly 30%, the Spotswood School District is 56%, representing a 1.95% increase, and the Middlesex County share is nearly 13% representing a .47% increase.

My administration is committed to pursuing fiscally sound budgeting that creates a path for our Borough to invest in much-needed, and quite honestly, decades long-overlooked improvements to our services, facilities, and infrastructure. We have already begun to take historic steps to make infrastructure improvements with a targeted road improvement plan, investments in public safety, aggressively applying for grants for our recreational facilities, as well as seeking alternative funding sources for our Borough, including county, state, and federal dollars.

We are also excited to be offering many more community events in the coming months as the inaugural Independence Day Mayors' March and Spark in the Park Firework Display was such a success and, in large part, funded by donations. I hope to see you at some of the events.

I'm excited for the path the Borough is now on and grateful for the residents entrusting me with this great responsibility.

Respectfully,

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Jackie Palmer

Mayor

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Municipal News and Announcements 

Municipal Offices are open to the public with COVID protocols and restrictions in place.  Staff are also available by phone or email to answer your questions or concerns. Payments can be made in-person, online, by mail, or dropped off in the box outside of the Municipal Building. We appreciate your patience as we make the necessary accommodations to allow us to continue to welcome the public safely. 

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