The Good News: A Flat Tax Rate this year
The Really Good News: The County and School Board also have no tax increase which means a flat tax all the way around!
In a year of inflation, supply chain issues, and economic uncertainty, this administration and all of the governments that make up your tax bill spent a lot of time making sure your government provided a level of certainty in an uncertain world.
Besides having no tax increase, this proposed budget is also a reflection of our priorities.
- Keeping you safe! As of the introduction of this budget, all 171 police officer spots are filled. This is our commitment to funding our police department to keep those in Hamilton safe. Moreover, we added two new firefighters which allowed us to reduce overtime costs. It not only makes the township safer but makes it more cost efficient.
- Keeping you healthy! This budget provides money to improve outdoor recreation opportunities by updating tennis courts and replacing broken playground equipment. We want to encourage everyone to step away from their computers, tvs, phones after 2 years of Zoom meetings and remote learning and get fresh air in our beautiful parks. We are also bringing back our summer recreation programs and full lineup of community events for the first time in two years.
- Updating our infrastructure! We have partnered with the federal government for required improvements to Dam Site 8 (in Veteran’s Park). By allocating $1.65m to updating the dam, the federal government will fund the rest of the projects (over $4m) to ensure we are protecting our community from flooding while maintaining the beauty of Veteran’s Park. We also dedicate millions more to improving our roads in town – while also taking advantage of grants from the State. We also will work to take advantage of the bipartisan infrastructure law to improve more of our roads and bridges.
After two years of ups and downs navigating a pandemic, I’m excited for Hamilton’s future and believe this budget sets the foundation for even greater things to come!
