West Windsor mayor says 2025 municipal budget holds taxes steady and outlines affordable-housing plan

West Windsor Mayor opened his state of the township address by telling residents the township’s 2025 municipal budget contains no municipal tax increases and that the council approved the spending plan that funds safety initiatives such as street lights and crosswalks. "I'm pleased to say the municipal budget has no tax increases," he said.

The mayor framed affordable housing as more than unit counts and said West Windsor has long required 25% of units in new developments to be set aside as affordable and to be integrated into projects. He said the Department of Community Affairs initially assigned West Windsor a requirement of 661 units for the state's fourth round but that township analysis showed the DCA used land data that included parcels with a pending warehouse approval. "The DCA came up with a number of 661 units for West Windsor," the mayor said, adding that the township challenged the number and passed a council resolution arguing the correct requirement was 392 units.

As the mayor described it, the Builders Association and the Fair Share Housing Center sued and the parties reached a settlement setting the town’s requirement at 480 units. The mayor said the township will file a housing element and fair share plan that it will present to the court; the plan as presented to the court will propose a local requirement of 236 units based on available land, with a broader goal of about 300 units including 51 credits for conversions. "The plan... hopes to build a total of 300 units including credits," he said.

On growth and taxes, the mayor said West Windsor’s total assessed taxable base rose from $5,973,000,000 to $6,153,000,000 since he took office, a 3% increase, which he said helps spread school and county taxes across a larger base. He noted municipal taxes on an average home rose about $61.42 cumulatively over eight years while county and school tax increases were much larger.

The mayor addressed a planned warehouse site along Route 571 near the East Windsor border, saying the project is smaller than several nearby East Windsor developments. He said that project has contributed $1,027,555.48 in affordable housing fees (50% of which the township has already collected) and when completed is expected to contribute about $1,000,000 in annual taxes, roughly $600,000 of which would go to the school district. "This warehouse... is expected to contribute approximately $1,000,000 in taxes of which roughly 600,000 will be school taxes," he said.

The mayor said he takes a two-pronged approach to relieve homeowners’ school and county tax burden: controlling housing unit growth in West Windsor, and increasing commercial ratables. He argued that allowing larger, uncontrolled housing growth could have overwhelmed the school system and traffic capacity.

On local projects and amenities, the mayor said the downtown Avalon project is taking shape, that Mercer County has delayed improvements to Route 571 but the project is expected to be bid next year, and that the township is working with the parking authority to convert an old school bus garage into a pocket park and parking for weekend community events. He also noted a plaque installation at Nash Park and recent and planned restaurant openings, including Eddie V's at Market Fare Mall.

The mayor closed by praising committees, volunteers and township staff, citing Marlena Smith and parking chair Andy Lou, and reported the township surplus rose from about $900,000 in 2018 to nearly $10,000,000 this year. He said these steps, together with the budget and housing plan, are intended to balance the needs of existing residents while managing new development.

The mayor said the township’s housing element and fair share plan are posted on the township website and that the planning board will vote on the plan and the council will endorse it on June 25. He urged residents to take individual responsibility for neighborhood safety and civic life.