The Hopewell Township Committee introduced a $36.8 million municipal budget that includes a tax rate decrease of 2.5 cents for township property owners on April 13.
A public hearing on the budget will be held on May 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the township municipal complex.
“The township is adding staff,”‘ Township Administrator George Snyder said, “including police officers and a full-time municipal housing liaison, and purchasing public works equipment to effectively manage our growing municipality and improve services.”
The proposed municipal tax rate in 2026 would be 41.5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The owner of an average assessed home at $495,496 would pay $2,056 in municipal taxes.
In 2025, the municipal tax rate for the budget was 44 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The owner of an average assessed home at $497,275 that year paid $2,188 in municipal taxes.
Municipal taxes are one item on a property owner’s total tax bill, which also includes Hopewell Valley Regional School District (HVRSD) taxes and Mercer County taxes.
The amount an individual pays in taxes is determined by the assessed value of his or her home and/or property, and the tax rate that is set by each taxing entity.
To support the budget, property taxes are a main source of revenue for the township. The amount expected to be raised by property taxes for 2026 is $16.5 million, a $1.03 million decrease from the prior year.
Areas the municipal budget covers include the police department, public works, capital projects, shared service agreements and general government operations.
The township proposes to use $3.35 million from the surplus as revenue in the budget, which is the same amount used in 2025.
Other projected revenues in the budget include: $9.1 from PILOTs, $1.7 million in state aid, $900,000 from interest on investments and deposits, $833,498 from shared service agreements, $390,000 from fees and permits, $210,900 from the Cable TV Franchise fee, $50,000 from local cannabis tax revenue, and $30,000 from alcoholic beverage licenses.
For appropriations, the budget will fund $8.45 million on municipal debt service, a $1.7 million increase from 2025.
Additional appropriations include: $4.7 million to public safety (includes police department), $4.3 million on insurance, $2.4 million for public works; $2.9 million towards capital improvements, $1.4 million on shared service agreements, $742,000 toward utilities and bulk purchases, and $416,000 to Health and Human Services, according to the budget documents.