Mayor DellaPia introduces 2025 municipal budget with 2.2-cent municipal tax increase

Mayor DellaPia presented the introduced 2025 municipal budget to the Washington Township Council on April 9, calling it her first municipal budget and the result of several months of work with the business administrator, CFO and finance staff.

DellaPia said the administration achieved reductions in overall general appropriations for the first time in more than a decade by limiting salary-and-wage increases through vacancy management and by reducing other operating expenses. She said the township also realized higher fee revenue after recent fee-schedule updates and that insurance costs stayed relatively stable after joining the Southern New Jersey Regional Employee Benefits Health Insurance Fund.

The mayor told the council the municipal tax increase in the introduced budget is 2.2 cents. Using the township's example of an average assessed home of $233,101, she calculated an annual tax increase of $50.45 (about $4.20 per month) on the municipal portion of property tax, and she described ongoing labor negotiations and recently settled police contracts that affect multi‑year costs.

DellaPia cited new local revenue from cannabis-dispensary activity, saying the township collected $31,267 in 2024 after its first dispensary opened and expects higher receipts in 2025 as an additional dispensary opens along Delsea Drive.

After the budget address council approved resolutions R102-2025 (authorize reading the introduced 2025 municipal budget by title only), R103-2025 (introduce the 2025 municipal budget) and R104-2025 (self-examination of the 2025 budget). Each resolution passed by a unanimous vote of members present; Councilmember Del Borrello was absent by the time of those votes.

The introduced budget will proceed to a public hearing and adoption process in accordance with township notice requirements.