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Woolwich committee introduces disabled-veterans tax exemption and approves consent agenda including housing plan and road grant
Summary
At its March 16 meeting, Woolwich Township Committee introduced Ordinance 2026-06 to establish a disabled-veterans property tax exemption and approved a consent agenda including endorsement of an amended Round 4 Housing Element, ratification of a consent order with Fair Share Housing Center, and support for a NJDOT Back Creek Road grant application.
Woolwich Township Committee introduced Ordinance 2026-06 on March 16 to add a municipal provision for a disabled-veterans property tax exemption. Mayor Natalie Matthias said the township currently lacks formal municipal language for the exemption and described the state process for veterans who qualify for a 100% exemption: filing with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the county tax assessor, followed by a municipal refund. The ordinance also extends eligibility to qualifying widows. Committeewoman Williams moved to introduce the ordinance and Deputy Mayor Nocentino seconded; the introduction passed unanimously.
The committee also approved a broad consent agenda covering Resolutions R-2026-101 through R-2026-114B by motion and unanimous roll call. Items adopted include payment No. 10 to Wyndham Construction LLC for Locke Avenue Park Development – Phase I (R-2026-101); a resolution authorizing submission of a grant application and execution of a grant contract with the New Jersey Department of Transportation for FY 2026 LAIF improvements to Back Creek Road (R-2026-106); endorsement of the amended Round 4 Housing Element and Fair Share Plan adopted by the Planning Board (R-2026-109); and approval of a consent order with Fair Share Housing Center and ratification of the mayor’s execution of the agreement (R-2026-114B).
Administrator Jim Watson provided operational updates, including an ongoing hiring process for career firefighters, progress on a shared services agreement, and an in-progress budget review. The Tax Collector reported $10,461,133.01 remitted for February and submitted the 2025 year-end report. Township Engineer Mark Lodato reported the Back Creek Road LAIF grant application had been submitted the prior Thursday and that tonight's resolution of support completed the application for state submission.
What happens next: Ordinance 2026-06 will proceed through the township’s adoption process after introduction. The grant application will be processed through NJDOT per usual state timelines. The consent order and housing-plan endorsements will be implemented as recorded in municipal administrative steps.
