Monroe Council adopts 2025 municipal budget; officials say tax rate rise stays at 1.5¢

The Monroe Township Council voted unanimously May 20 to adopt the 2025 municipal budget after a public hearing and a minor amendment requested by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA).

Council members approved Resolution R 05/2025‑104b adopting the budget following discussion and a separate motion to amend the introduced budget, a change the administration said reallocates some introduced charges (notably debt service previously charged to the library) so the town need not raise the tax rate beyond the previously announced 1.5‑cent increase.

Township Administrator Kevin McGowan said the DCA requested that certain debt service amounts not be charged to the library fund; finance staff reallocated funds and identified savings so “we do not have to raise the tax rate in any way, and the overall budget amount remains virtually the same.” CFO Lori (finance staff) said the budget documents are posted online in the state’s standard format.

During the public hearing residents asked for a fuller, in‑person budget presentation. Multiple speakers, including long‑time residents and former council members, urged the township to restore department‑level slide presentations and provide a user‑friendly summary of the audit and budget numbers. Resident Prakash Parab and others said public slide presentations make the budget easier for lay readers to understand.

Questions at the hearing focused on ratable growth and timing. Speakers sought clarity about recent ratable increases (the township’s assessor and finance staff explained that ratable growth in the prior year had been larger than this year’s growth but that the ratable base remains up from prior levels). McGowan said the town’s ratable base increased this year by about $75 million and emphasized there was no net loss in ratables.

On staffing and the budget’s new positions, McGowan estimated that three police officers and two EMT positions included in the budget would cost roughly $200,000 on a prorated basis depending on hire dates. A resident asked where roughly $1.3 million in revenue from the proposed 1.5‑cent increase would go; McGowan said the tax change on an $8.7 billion ratable base would raise roughly $1.3 million, a portion of which covers personnel additions and other budget items.

Council and administration also noted the township recently received an A+ rating from S&P, which administration credited to sound financial management.

The budget was adopted by roll call vote with all five council members in favor.