Hamilton council adds $28.09 million bond sale to agenda, introduces 2025 municipal budget

Hamilton Township Council on Tuesday amended its meeting agenda to add a resolution authorizing the sale of $28,092,000 in general improvement bonds and then approved a consent agenda that included that bond authorization. The council also introduced the township’s calendar-year 2025 municipal budget and held a first reading of an ordinance to set municipal appropriation limits and a cap bank provision.

The council’s presiding official said the agenda was amended to remove one affordable-housing resolution while final wording was completed, and to add a new bond resolution described as: “a resolution of the township of Hamilton in the County of Mercer authorizing the sale of $28,092,000 principal amount of general improvement bonds, series 2025.” The motion to amend the agenda passed on a council roll call.

The bond authorization — added as consent agenda item CA-16 — was approved when councilmembers moved and approved the consent agenda (CA-1 through CA-16, with the exception of CA-4). The council did not debate the bond sale on the record during the meeting; no bond purchaser or underwriting terms were discussed during the public meeting.

Separately, the council introduced Ordinance 125-004 for first reading and introduction. The ordinance was described in the meeting as setting municipal budget appropriation limits and establishing a cap bank provision. Councilmembers voted to introduce the ordinance on first reading.

Councilmembers also introduced and approved Resolution 25-196, the introduction and approval of the calendar-year 2025 municipal budget. The presiding official invited the public to attend upcoming budget workshops where directors will review line items; council members said the first workshop is scheduled for April 7 at 6:00 p.m. and additional sessions will follow. The budget resolution was approved by roll call vote.

The meeting record shows the agenda amendment was made after the meeting was posted online; the presiding official said an earlier resolution relating to the township’s fair-share housing obligations pursuant to P.L. 2024, c.2 and the Fair Share Housing Act (N.J.S.A. 52:27D-302) was removed from the agenda to finalize language and will return in two weeks.

Because the bond authorization and the budget introduction were taken as part of the consent and introductory items, the council did not open extended public comment on those specific measures at this meeting. The presiding official and councilmembers encouraged the public to attend the advertised budget workshops for further review and comment.

Looking ahead, councilmembers said they will review the budget line-by-line at the workshops and directed staff to provide departmental presentations at those sessions.